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LIBRARY     ^ 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 
SAN  D1E60 


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HOLIDAY    HOUSE 


SERIES  OF  TALES. 

©clftcatctJ  to  Jlatrg  Biana  Bogle. 

BY 

CATHERINE  SINCLAIR, 

AOTBORKSS   OF   "MODERN   ACCOMPLISHMENTS,"    "  MODERN    SOCIBTY," 
"  HILL  AND   VALLEY,"   "  CBARLIE   SEYMOUR,"  &C.  &C. 


"  Young  heads  are  giddy,  and  young  hearts  arc  warm, 
And  make  mistakes  for  manhood  to  reform." 

CowPBa. 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED   BY   ROBERT   CARTER, 

NO.  58  CANAL   STREET. 

1S39. 


N  «  w  -  Y  o  R  ■  : 
riintl-d  liy  P"  ATI  MKKO  «HD  Ada«b, 

No.  38  Uuia  SlretL 


PREFACE. 


"Of  all  the  paper  I  have  blotted,  I  have  written  nothing  without 
the  intention  of  some  good.  Whether  1  have  succeeded  or  notj  is  for 
others  to  judge." 

Sir  William  Temple. 


The  minds  of  young  people  are  now  manufac- 
tured like  webs  of  linen,  all  alike,  and  nothing  left  to 
nature.  From  the  hour  when  children  can  speak,  till 
they  come  to  years  of  discretion  or  of  indiscretion, 
they  are  carefully  prompted  what  to  say,  and  what  to 
think,  and  what  to  look,  and  how  to  feel ;  while  in 
most  school-rooms  nature  has  been  turned  out  of  doors 
with  obloquy,  and  art  has  entirely  supplanted  her. 

When  a  quarrel  takes  place,  both  parties  are  gene- 
rally in  some  degree  to  blame  ;  therefore  if  Art  and 
Nature  could  yet  be  made  to  go  hand  in  hand  towards 
the  formation  of  character  and  principles,  a  graceful 
and  beautiful  superstructure  might  be  reared,  on  the 
solid  foundation  of  Christian  faith  and  sound  morality ; 
so  that  while  many  natural  weeds  and  wild  flowers 
would  be  pruned  and  carefully  trained,  some  lovely 
blossoms  that  spring  spontaneously  in  the  uncultivated 
soil,  might  still  be  cherished  into  strength  and  beauty, 
far  excelling  what  can  be  planted  or  reared  by  art. 


IT  riiErACE. 

Every  infant  is  probably  born  with  a  character  as 
peculiar  to  himself  as  the  features  in  his  countenance, 
if  his  faults  and  good  qualities  were  permitted  to  ex- 
pand according  to  their  original  tendency  ;  but  educa- 
tion, which  formerly  did  too  little  in  teaching  "  the 
young  idea  how  to  shoot,'"  seems  now  in  danger  of 
over-shooting  the  mark  altogether,  by  not  allowing  the 
young  ideas  to  exist  at  all.  In  this  age  of  wonderful 
mechanical  inventiont;,  the  very  mind  of  youth  seems 
in  danger  of  becoming  a  machine  ;  and  while  every 
effort  is  used  to  stuff  the  memory,  like  a  cricket-ball, 
with  well-known  facts  and  ready-made  opinions,  no 
room  is  left  for  the  vigour  of  natural  feeling,  the  glow  of 
natural  genius,  and  the  ardour  of  natural  enthusiasm. 
It  was  a  remark  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  many  years  ago, 
to  the  author  iicrself,  that  in  the  rising  generation  there 
would  bo  no  poets,  wits,  or  orators,  because  all  play  of 
imagination  is  now  carefully  discouraged,  and  books 
written  for  young  persons  arc  generally  a  mere  dry 
record  of  facts,  unenlivened  by  any  appeal  to  the  heart, 
or  any  excitement  to  the  fancy.  The  catalogue  of  a 
child's  library  would  contain  Conversations  on  Natu- 
ral Philosophy, — on  Chemistry, — on  Botany, — on  Arts 
and  Sciences, — Chronological  Records  of  History, — 
and  travels  as  dry  as  a  road-book  ;  but  nothing  on  the 
habits  or  ways  of  thinking,  natural  and  suitable  to  the 
taste  of  children  ;  therefore,  while  such  works  are  de- 
lightful to  the  parents  and  teachers  who  select  them, 
the  younger  community  are  fed  with  strong  meat  in- 
stead of  Uiilk,  and  the  readinjj  which  miifht  be  a  relax- 
ation  from  study,  becomes  a  study  in  itself. 

In  these  pages  the  autiior  has  endeavoured  to  paint 
that  species  of  noisy,  frolicsome,  mischievous  children 


PREFACE. 


which  is  now  almost  extinct,  wishing  to  preserve  a  sort 
of  li\bulons  remembrance  of  days  long  past,  when 
young  people  were  like  wild  horses  on  the  prairies,  rath- 
er than  like  well-broken  hacks  on  the  road  ;  and  when, 
amidst  many  faults  and  many  eccentricities,  there  was 
still  some  individuality  of  character  and  feeling  allow- 
ed to  remain.  In  short,  as  Lord  Byron  described  "  the 
last  man,"  the  object  of  this  volume  is,  to  describe  "the 
last  boy."  It  may  be  useful,  she  thinks,  to  show,  that 
amidst  much  requiring  to  be  judiciously  curbed  and 
corrected,  there  may  be  the  germs  of  high  and  generous 
feeling,  and  of  steady,  right  principle,  which  should  be 
the  chief  objects  of  culture  and  encouragement.  Plod- 
ding industry  is  in  the  present  day  at  a  very  high  pre- 
mium in  education  ;  but  it  requires  the  leaven  of  men- 
tal energy  and  genius  to  make  it  work  well,  while  it 
has  been  remarked  by  one  whose  experience  in  educa- 
tion is  deep  and  practical,  that  "  those  boys  whose 
names  appear  most  frequently  in  the  black  book  of 
transgression,  would  sometimes  deserve  to  be  also  most 
commonly  recorded,  if  a  book  were  kept  for  warm  af- 
fections and  generous  actions." 

The  most  formidable  person  to  meet  in  society  at 
present,  is  the  mother  of  a  promising  boy,  about  nine  or 
ten  years  old  ;  because  there  is  no  possible  escape  from 
a  volume  of  anecdotes,  and  a  complete  system  of  edu- 
cation on  the  newest  principles.  The  young  gentle- 
man has  probably  asked  leave  to  bring  his  books  to  the 
breakfast-room, — can  scarcely  be  torn  away  from  his 
studies  at  the  dinner-hour,— discards  all  toys,— abhors 
a  holiday, — propounds  questions  of  marvellous  depth 
in  politics  or  mineralogy, — and  seems,  in  short,  more 
fitted  to  enjoy  the  learned  meeting  at  Newcastle,  than  the 

a2 


VI  PREFACE. 

exhilaratini^  exercises  of  the  cricket-ground  ;  but,  if 
the  axiom  be  true,  that  "  a  little  learning  is  a  danger- 
ous thing,"  it  has  also  been  proved  by  frequent,  and 
sometimes  by  very  melanclioly  experience,  that,  for 
minds  not  yet  expanded  to  maturity,  a  great  deal  of 
learning  is  more  dangerous  still,  and  that  in  those 
school-rooms  where  there  has  been  a  society  for  the 
suppression  of  amusement,  the  mental  energies  have 
suffered,  as  well  as  the  health. 

A  prejudice  has  naturally  arisen  against  giving  works 
of  fiction  to  children,  because  their  chief  interest  too 
often  rests  on  the  detection  and  punishment  of  such 
mean  vices  as  lying  and  stealing,  which  are  so  fre- 
quently and  elaborately  described,  that  the  way  to  com- 
mit those  crimes  is  made  obvious,  while  a  clever  boy 
thinks  he  could  easily  avoid  the  oversights  by  which 
another  has  been  discovered,  and  that  if  he  does  not 
yield  to  similar  temptations,  he  is  a  model  of  virtue  and 
good-conduct. 

In  wrUing  for  any  class  of  readers,  and  especially  in 
occupying  the  leisure  moments  of  such  peculiarly  for- 
tunate young  persons  as  have  leisure  moments  at  all, 
the  author  feels  conscious  of  a  deep  responsibility,  for 
it  is  at  their  early  age  that  the  seed  can  best  be  sown 
which  shall  bear  fruit  unto  eternal  life,  therefore  it  is 
hoped  this  volume  may  be  found  to  inculcate  a  pleasing 
and  permanent  consciousness,  that  religion  is  the  best 
resource  in  happier  hours,  and  the  only  refuge  in  hours 
of  nffiiction. 

Those  who  wish  to  be  remembered  for  ever  m  the 
world, — and  it  is  a  very  common  object  of  ambition, — 
will  find  no  monument  more  permanent,  than  the  af- 
fectionate remembrance   of  any  children   they  have 


PREFACE.  VU 

treated  with  kindness ;  for  we  may  often  observe,  in 
the  reminiscences  of  old  age,  a  tender  recollection  sur- 
viving all  others,  of  friends  in  early  days  who  enliven- 
ed tlie  hours  of  childhood  by  presents  of  playthings 
and  comfits.  Bat  above  all,  we  never  forget  those  who 
good-humouredly  complied  with  the  constantly  recur- 
ring petition  of  all  young  people  in  every  generation, 
and  in  every  house — "  Will  you  tell  me  a  story  ?'' 

In  answer  to  such  a  request,  often  and  importunate- 
ly repeated,  the  author  has  from  year  to  year  delighted 
in  seeing  herself  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  joyous,  eager 
faces,  listening  with  awe  to  the  terrors  of  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree,  or  smiling  at  the  frolics  of  Harry  and  Laura. 
The  stories,  originally,  were  so  short,  that  some  friends, 
aware  of  their  popularity,  and  conscious  of  their  harm- 
less tendency,  took  the  trouble  of  copying  them  in 
manuscript  for  their  own  young  friends  ;  but  the  tales 
have  since  grown  and  expanded  during  frequent  ver- 
bal repetitions,  till,  with  various  fanciful  additions  and 
new  characters,  they  have  enlarged  into  their  present 
form,  or  rather  so  far  beyond  it,  that  several  chapters 
are  omitted,  to  keep  the  volume  within  moderate  com- 
pass. 

Paley  remarks,  that  "  any  amuserhent  which  is  inno- 
cent, is  better  than  none  ;  as  the  writing  of  a  book,  the 
building  of  a  house,  the  laying  out  of  a  garden,  the 
digging  of  a  fish-pond,  even  the  raising  of  a  cucum- 
ber ;"  and  it  is  hoped  that,  while  the  author  herself  has 
found  much  interesting  occupation  in  recording  these 
often  repeated  stories,  the  time  of  herself  and  her  young 
readers  may  be  employed  with  some  degree  of  profit, 
or  she  will  certainly  regret  that  it  was  not  better  occu- 
pied in  the  rearing  of  cucumbers. 


HOLIDAY    HOUSE. 


CHAPTER   I. 


CHIT   CHAT. 

A  school  boy,  a  dog,  and  a  walnut  tree, 
The  more  yon  strike  'em,  the  better  they  be. 

Laura  and  Harry  Graham  could  scarcely  feel  sure  that  they 
ever  had  a  mama,  because  she  died  while  they  were  yet  very 
young  indeed  ;  but  Frank,  who  was  some  years  older,  recol- 
lected perfectly  well  what  pretty  playthings  she  used  to  give 
him,  and  missed  his  kind,  good  mama  so  extremely,  that  he 
one  day  asked  if  he  might  "  go  to  a  shop  and  buy  a  new 
mama  ?"  Frank  often  afterwards  thought  of  the  time  also, 
when  he  kneeled  beside  her  bed  to  say  his  prayers,  or  when 
he  sat  upon  her  knee  to  hear  funny  stories  about  good  boys 
and  bad  boys — all  very  interesting,  and  all  told  on  purpose 
to  show  how  much  happier  obedient  children  are,  than  those 
who  waste  their  time  in  idleness  and  folly.  Boys  and  girls 
all  think  they  know  the  road  to  happiness  without  any  mis- 
take, and  choose  that  which  looks  gayest  and  pleasantest  at 
first,  though  older  people,  who  have  travelled  that  road  already, 
can  tell  them  that  a  very  difficult  path  is  the  only  one  which 


10 


CHIT    CHAT. 


ends  agreeably  ;  and  those  who  he<rin  to  walk  in  it  when 
they  arc  young,  will  really  find  that  "  wisdom's  ways  are 
ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  arc  peace."  It  was 
truly  remarked  by  Solomon,  that  "even  a  child  is  known  by 
his  doings,  whether  his  work  be  pure,  and  whether  it  be 
right."  Therefore,  though  Franjt  was  yet  but  a  little  boy, 
his  friends,  who  observed  how  carefully  he  attended  to  his 
mama's  instructions,  how  fre(|uently  he  studied  his  Bible, 
and  hew  diligently  he  learned  his  lessons,  all  proj)hcsied  that 
this  merry,  lively  child,  with  laughing  eyes,  and  dimpled 
cheeks,  would  yet  grow  up  to  be  a  good  and  useful  man  ; 
especially  when  it  became  evident  that,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  he  had  been  early  turned  away  from  the  broad  road  that 
leadcth  to  destruction,  in  which  every  living  person  would 
naturally  walk,  and  led  into  the  narrow  path  that  leadcth  to 
eternal  life. 

"^^  hen  his  mama,  Lady  Graham,  after  a  long  and  painful 
illness,  was  at  last  taken  away  to  the  better  world,  for  which 
she  had  been  many  ye£U"s  prejjaring,  her  only  sorrow  and 
anxiety  seemed  to  be  that  she  left  behind  her  three  such  very 
dear  children,  who  were  now  to  be  entirely  under  the  care 
of  their  papa,  Sir  Edward  Graham  ;  and  it  was  with  many 
prayers  and  tears  that  she  tried  to  make  her  mind  more  easy 
about  their  future  education,  and  future  happiness. 

Sir  Edward  felt  such  extreme  grief  on  the  death  of  Lady 
Graham,  that  instead  of  being  able  to  remain  at  home  with 
his  young  family,  and  to  interest  his  mind  as  he  would  wish 
to  have  done,  by  attending  to  them,  he  was  ordered  by  Dr. 
Hell,  to  set  off  immediately  for  Paris,  Rome,  and  Naples, 
where  it  was  hoped  he  nu'ght  leave  his  distresses  behind  him 
while  he  travelled,  or  at  all  events,  forget  them. 

Luckily  the  children  had  a  very  good,  kind  uncle,  Major 
David  Graham,  and  their  grandmama,  Lady  Harriet  Gniham, 
who  were  both  exceedingly  happy  to  take  charge  of  them, 
observing  that  no  house  could  be  cheerful  without  a  few  little 


CHIT    CHAT.  ii 

people  being  there,  and  that  now  they  would  have  constant 
amusement  in  trying  to  make  Frank,  Harry,  and  Laura,  as 
happy  as  possible,  and  even  still  happier. 

"That  is  the  thing  I  am  almost  afraid  of!"  said  Sir  Ed- 
ward, smiling.     "  Uncles  and  grandmamas  are  only  too 
kind,  and   my  small  family  will  be  quite  spoiled  by  indul- 
gence." 

"  Not  if  you  leave  that  old  vixen,  Mrs.  Crabtree,  as  go- 
vernor of  the  nursery,"  answered  Major  Graham,  laughing. 
"  She  ought  to  have  been  the  drummer  of  a  regiment,  she 
is  so  fond  of  the  rod !  I  believe  there  never  was  such  a 
tyrant  since  the  time  when  nursery-maids  Avere  invented. 
Poor  Harry  would  pass  his  life  in  a  dark  closet,  like  Baron 
Trenck,  if  Mrs.  Crabtree  had  her  own  way  !" 

"  She  means  it  all  well.  I  am  certain  that  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree is  devotedly  fond  of  my  children,  and  would  go  through 
fire  and  water  to  serve  them  ;  but  she  is  a  little  severe  per- 
haps. Her  idea  is,  that  if  you  never  forgive  a  first  fault,  you 
will  never  hear  of  a  second,  which  is  probably  true  enough. 
At  all  events,  her  harshness  will  be  the  best  remedy  for 
your  extreme  indulgence  ;  therefore  let  me  beg  that  you 
and  my  mother  will  seldom  interfere  with  her  '  method,'  es- 
pecially in  respect  to  Harry  and  Laura.  As  for  Frank,  if 
all  boys  were  like  him,  we  might  make  a  bonfire  of  birch 
rods  and  canes.  He  is  too  old  for  nursery  discipline  now, 
and  must  be  flogged  at  school,  if  deserving  of  it  at  all,  till  he 
goes  to  sea  next  year  with  my  friend  Gordon,  who  has  pro- 
mised to  rate  him  as  a  volunteer  of  the  first  class,  on  board 
the  Thunderbolt." 

Li  spite  of  Mrs.  Crabtree's  admirable  "  system  "  with 
children,  Harry  and  Laura  became,  from  this  time,  two  of 
the  most  heedless,  frolicsome  beings  in  the  world,  and  had 
to  be  whipped  almost  every  morning  ;  for  in  those  days  it 
had  not  been  discovered  that  whipping  is  all  a  mistake,  and 
that  children  can  be   made  good  without  it ;    though  some 


12  CHIT    CHAT. 

old-fashioned  people  still  say — and  such,  too,  who  take  the 
God  of  truth  for  their  guide — the  old  plan  succeeded  best, 
and  those  who  "spare  the  rod  will  spoil  the  child."  When 
Lady  Harriet  and  Major  Graham  spoke  kindly  to  Harry  and 
Laura,  about  anything  wrong  that  had  been  done,  they  both 
felt  more  sad  and  sorry,  than  afler  the  severest  punishments 
of  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who  frequently  observed,  that  "  if  those 
children  were  shut  up  in  a  dark  room  alone,  with  nothing 
to  do,  they  would  still  find  some  way  of  being  mischievous, 
and  of  deserving  to  be  piinishcd." 

"Harry!"  said  Major  (iraham  one   day,  "you   remind 
me  of  a  monkey  which  belonged  to  the  colonel  of  our  regi- 
ment formerly.     He  was  famous  for  contriving  to  play  all 
sorts  of  pranks  when  no  one  supposed  them  to  be  possible, 
and  I  recollect  once  having  a  valuable  French  clock,  which 
the  malicious  creature   seemed  particularly   determined  to 
break.     Many  a  time  I  caught  him  in   the  fact,  and  saved 
my  beautiful  clock  ;  but  one  day,  being  suddenly  summoned 
out  of  the  room,  I  hastily  fastened  his  chain  to   a  table,  so 
that  he  could  not  possibly,  even  at  the  full  extent  of  his  paw, 
so  much  as  touch  the  glass  case.     I   observed   him   impa- 
tiently watching  my  departure,  and  felt  a  misgiving  that  he 
expected  to  get  the  better  of  me  ;  so  after  shutting  the  door, 
I  took  a  poop  through  the  key-hole,  and  what  do  you   think 
Jack   had  done,   Harry  ?    for,  next  to   Mr,  Monkey  him- 
self, you  are  certainly  the  cleverest  contriver  of  mischief  I 
know." 

"What  did  he  do?"  asked  Harry  eagerly;  "did  he 
throw  a  stone  at  the  clock?" 

"  No  !  but  his  leg  was  several  inches  longer  than  his 
arm,  so  having  turned  his  tail  towards  his  objcrt,  he  stretch- 
ed oiit  his  hind-paw,  and  before  I  could  rush  bark,  my 
splendid  alabaster  clock  had  been  upset  and  broken  to 
eh  i  vers." 

Laura  soon  became  quite  as  mischievous  as  Hany,  which 


CHIT    CHAT.  13 

h  very  surprising,  as  she  was  a  whole  year  older,  and  had 
been  twice  as  often  scolded  by  Mrs.  Crabtree.  Neither  of 
these  children  intended  any  harm,  for  they  were  only  heed- 
less lively  romps,  who  would  not  for  twenty  worlds  have  told 
a  lie,  or  done  a  shabby  thing,  or  taken  what  did  not  belong 
to  them.  They  were  not  greedy  either,  and  would  not  on 
any  account  have  resembled  Peter  Grey,  who  was  at  the 
same  school  with  Frank,  and  who  spent  all  his  own  pocket- 
money,  and  borrowed  a  great  deal  of  other  people's,  to  squan- 
der at  the  pastry-cook's,  saying,  he  wished  it  were  possible 
to  eat  three  dinners,  and  two  breakfasts,  and  five  suppers 
every  day. 

Harry  was  not  a  cruel  boy  either ;  he  never  lashed  his 
pony,  beat  his  dog,  pinched  his  sister,  or  killed  any  butter- 
flies, though  he  often  chased  them  for  fun,  and  one  day  he 
even  defended  a  wasp,  at  the  risk  of  being  stung,  when  Mrs. 
Crabtree  intended  to  kill  it. 

"Nasty,  useless  vermin  !"  said  she  angrily,  "What  busi- 
ness have  they  in  the  world !  coming  into  other  people's 
houses,  with  nothing  to  do !  They  sting  and  torment  every 
body  !  Bees  are  very  different,  for  they  make  honey." 

"  And  wasps  make  jelly  !"  said  Harry  resolutely,  while  he 
opened  the  window,  and  shook  the  happy  wasp  out  of  his 
pocket  handkerchief. 

Mrs.  Crabtree  allowed  no  pets  of  any  description  in  her 
territories,  and  ordered  the  children  to  be  happy  without 
any  such  nonsense.  When  Laura's  canary-bird  escaped 
one  unlucky  day  out  of  its  cage,  Mrs.  Crabtree  was  strong- 
ly suspected  by  Major  Graham,  of  having  secretly  opened 
the  door,  as  she  had  long  declared  war  upon  bulfinches, 
white  mice,  parrots,  kittens,  dogs,  bantams,  and  gold  fish, 
observing  that  animals  only  made  a  noise  and  soiled  the 
house,  therefore  every  creature  should  remain  in  its  own 
home,  "birds  in  the  air,  fish  in  the  sea,  and  beasts  in  the 
desert."     She  seemed  always  watching  in  hopes  Harry  and 

B 


14  CHIT    CHAT. 

Laura  micht  do  something  that  they  ought  to  be  punished 
for ;  and  Mrs.  Crabtree  certainly  had  more  ears  than  other 
people,  or  slept  with  one  eye  open,  as,  whatever  might  be 
done,  night  or  day,  she  overheard  the  lowest  whisper  of 
mischief,  and  appeared  able  to  see  what  was  going  on  in  the 

dark. 

When  Harry  was  a  very  little  boy,  he  sometimes  put 
himself  in  the  corner,  after  doing  any  thing  wrong,  appa- 
rently quite  sensible  that  he  deserved  to  be  punished,  and 
once,  alter  being  terribly  scolded  by  Mrs.  Crabtree,  he  drew 
in  his  stool  beside  her  chair,  with  a  funny  penitent  face, 
twirling  his  thumbs  over  and  over  each  other,  and  saying, 
"  Now,  Mrs.  Crabtree !  look  what  a  good  boy  I  am  going 

to  be !" 

"You  a  20od  boy  !"  replied  she  contemptuously  :  "No  ! 
no  !  the  world  will  be  turned  into  a  cream-cheese  first  I" 

Lady  Harriet  gave  Harry  and  Laura  a  closet  of  their  own, 
in  which  she  allowed  them  to  keep  their  toys,  and  nobody 
could  help  laughing  to  see  that,  amidst  the  whole  collection, 
there  was  seldom  one  unbroken.  Frank  wrote  out  a  list 
once  of  what  he  found  in  this  crowded  little  store-room,  and 
amused  himself  often  with  reading  it  over  afterwards.  There 
were  three  dolls  witliout  faces,  a  horse  with  no  legs,  a  drum 
with  a  hole  in  the  top,  a  cart  without  wheels,  a  churn  with 
no  bottom,  a  kite  without  a  tale,  a  skipping-rope  with  no 
handles,  and  a  cup  and  ball  that  had  lost  the  string.  Lady 
Harriet  called  this  closet  the  hospital  for  decayed  toys,  and 
she  often  employed  herself  as  their  doctor,  mending  legs 
and  arms  for  soldiers,  horses,  and  dolls,  though  her  skill 
stldom  succeeded  long,  because  play-things  must  have  been 
made  of  cast-iron  to  last  a  week  with  Harry.  One  cold 
winter  morning  when  Laura  entered  the  nursery,  she  found 
a  large  fire  blazing,  and  all  her  wax  dolls  sitting  in  a  row 
within  the  fender  staring  at  the  flames.  Harry  intended  no 
mischief  on  this  occasion,  but  great  was  his  vexation  when 


CHIT    CHAT. 


16 


Laura  burst  into  tears,  and  showed  him  that  their  faces  were 
running  in  a  hot  stream  down  upon  their  beautiful  silk 
frocks,  which  were  completely  ruined,  and  not  a  doll  had 
its  nose  remaining.  Another  time,  Harry  pricked  a  hole 
in  his  own  beautiful  large  gas  ball,  wishing  to  see  how  the 
gas  could  possibly  escape,  after  which,  in  a  moment,  it  shri- 
velled up  into  a  useless  empty  bladder, — and  when  his  kite 
was  flying  up  to  the  clouds,  Harry  often  wished  that  he 
could  be  tied  to  the  tail  himself,  so  as  to  fly  also  through  the 
air  like  a  bird,  and  see  every  thing. 

Mrs.  Crabtree  always  wore  a  prodigious  bunch  of  jingling 
keys  in  her  pocket,  that  rung  whenever  'she  moved,  as  if 
she  carried  a  dinner  bell  in  her  pocket,  and  Frank  said  it 
was  like  a  rattlesnake  giving  warning  of  her  approach, 
which  was  of  great  use,  as  everybody  had  time  to  put  on 
a  look  of  good  behaviour  before  she  arrived.  Even  Betty, 
the  under  nursery-maid,  felt  in  terror  of  Mrs.  Crabtree's 
entrance,  and  was  obliged  to  work  harder  than  any  six 
house-maids  united.  Frank  told  her  one  day  that  he  thought 
brooms  might  soon  be  invented,  which  would  go  by  steam 
and  brush  carpets  of  themselves,  but,  in  the  meantime,  not  a 
grain  of  dust  could  lurk  in  any  corner  of  the  nursery  with- 
out being  dislodged.  Betty  would  have  required  ten  hands, 
and  twenty  pair  of  feet,  to  do  all  the  work  that  was  expect- 
ed ;  but  the  grate  looked  like  jet,  the  windows  would  not 
have  soiled  a  cambric  handkerchief,  and  the  carpet  was 
switched  with  so  many  tea-leaves,  that  Frank  thought  Mrs. 
Crabtree  often  took  several  additional  cups  of  tea  in  order 
to  leave  a  plentiful  supply  of  leaves  for  sweeping  the  floor 
next  morning. 

If  Laura  and  Harry  left  any  breakfast,  Mrs.  Crabtree 
kept  it  carefully  till  dinner  time,  when  they  were  obliged  to 
finish  the  whole  before  tasting  meat ;  and  if  they  refused  it 
at  dinner,  the  remains  were  kept  for  supper.  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree always  informed  them  that  she  did  it  "  for  their  good," 


IG  CHIT    CHAT. 

though  Harry  never  could  see  any  good  that  it  did  to  either 
of  thein  ;  and  when  she  mentioned  how  many  poor  children 
would  be  glad  to  cat  what  they  despised,  he  often  wished 
the  hungry  beggars  had  some  of  his  own  hot  dinner,  which 
he  would  gladly  have  spared  to  them  ;  for  Harry  was  really 
so  generous,  that  he  would  have  lived  upon  air,  if  he  might 
be  of  use  to  anybody.  Time  passed  on,  and  Lady  Harriet 
engaged  a  master  for  some  hours  a-day  to  teach  the  children 
lessons,  while  even  Mrs.  Crabtrce  found  no  other  fault  to 
Harry  and  Laura,  except  that  in  respect  to  good  behaviour 
their  memories  were  like  a  sieve,  which  let  out  every  thing 
they  were  desired  to  keep  in  mind.  They  seemed  always 
to  hope,  somehow  or  other,  when  Mrs.  Crabtree  once 
turned  her  back,  she  would  never  shew  her  face  again  ;  so 
their  promises  of  better  conduct  were  all  "  wind  without 
rain," — very  loud  and  plenty  of  them,  but  no  good  efl'ect  to 
be  seen  afterwards. 

Among  her  many  other  torment'*,  Mrs.  Crabtree  rolled 
up  Laura's  hair  every  night  on  all  sides  of  her  head,  iu 
large  stiff  curl-papers,  till  they  were  as  round  and  hard  as 
walnuts,  after  which,  she  tied  on  a  night-cap,  as  tightly  as 
l)ossible  above  all,  saying  this  would  curl  the  hair  still  better. 
Laura  could  not  lay  any  part  of  her  head  on  the  pillow, 
without  suffering  so  much  pain  that,  night  after  night,  she 
sat  up  in  bed,  after  Mrs.  Crabtree  had  bustled  out  o(  the 
room,  and  quietly  took  the  cruel  papers  out,  though  she  was 
punished  so  severely  for  doing  so,  that  she  obeyed  orders  at 
last,  and  lay  wide  awake  half  the  night  with  torture  ;  and  it 
was  but  small  comfort  to  Laura  afterwards,  that  Lady  Har- 
riet's visitors  frccjuently  admired  the  forest  of  Imig  glossy 
ringlets  that  adorned  her  head,  and  complimented  Mrs. 
Crabtree  on  the  trouble  it  must  cost  her  to  keep  that  charm- 
ing hair  in  order.  Often  did  Laura  wish  that  it  were  orna- 
menting any  wig-block,  rather  than  her  own  head  ;  and 
one  day  Lady  Harriet  laughed  heartily,  when  some  >tran- 


CHIT    CHAT. 


17 


gers  admired  her  little  grand-daughter's  ringlets,  and  Laura 
asked,  very  anxiously,  if  they  would  like  to  cut  off  a  few  of 
the  longest,  and  keep  them  for  her  sake. 

"  Your  hair  does  curl  like  a  cork-screw,"  said  Frank, 
laughing.  "  If  I  want  to  draw  a  cork  out  of  a  beer  bottle 
any  day,  I  shall  borrow  one  of  those  ringlets,  Laura  !" 

"  You  may  laugh,  Frank,  for  it  is  fun  to  you  and  death 
to  me,"  answered  poor  Laura,  gravely  shaking  her  curls  at 
him.  "  I  wish  we  were  all  bald,  like  uncle  David  !  Dur- 
ing the  night,  I  cannot  lie  still  on  account  of  those  tiresome 
curls,  and  all  day  I  dare  not  stir  for  fear  of  spoiling  them, 
so  they  are  never  out  of  my  head," 

"  Nor  off  your  head  !  How  pleasant  it  must  be  to  have 
Mrs.  Crabtree  combing  and  scolding,  and  scolding  and 
combing,  for  hours  every  day  !  Poor  Laura  !  we  must  get 
Dr.  Bell  to  say  that  they  shall  be  taken  off  on  pain  of  death, 
and  then,  perhaps,  grandmama  would  order  some  Irish 
reapers  to  cut  them  down  with  a  sickle." 

"  Frank  !  what  a  lucky  boy  you  are  to  be  at  school,  and 
not  in  the  nursery !  I  wish  next  year  would  come  imme- 
diately, for  then  I  shall  have  a  governess,  after  Avhich  good- 
bye to  Mrs.  Crabtree,  and  the  wearisome  curl-papers." 

"  I  don't  like  school !"  said  Harry.  "  It  is  perfect  non- 
sense to  plague  me  with  lessons  now.  All  big  people  can 
read  and  write,  so,  of  course,  I  shall  be  able  to  do  Hke 
others.     There  is  no  hurry  about  it  I" 

Never  was  there  a  more  amiable,  pious,  excellent  boy 
than  Frank,  who  read  his  Bible  so  attentively,  and  said  his 
prayers  so  regularly  every  morning  and  evening,  that  he 
soon  learned  both  to  know  his  duty  and  to  do  it.  Though 
he  laughed  heartily  at  the  scrapes  which  Harry  and  Laura 
so  constantly  fell  into,  he  often  also  helped  them  out  of 
their  difficulties ;  being  very  different  from  most  elderly 
boys,  who  find  an  odd  kind  of  pleasure  in  teazing  younger 
children — pulling  their  hair — pinching  their  arms — twitch- 

b2 


IS  CHIT    CHAT. 

ing  away  their  dinners — and  twenty  more  plans  for  tor- 
menting, which  Frank  never  atteniptcd  to  enjoy,  but  he 
often  gave  Hurry  and  Laura  a  great  deal  of  kind,  sober, 
good  advice,  which  they  li.stened  to  very  attentively  while 
they  were  in  any  new*  distress,  but  generally  forgot  again 
as  soon  as  their  spirits  rose.  Frank  came  home  only  upon 
Saturdays  and  Sundays,  because  he  attended  during  most 
of  the  week  at  Mr.  Lexicon's  academy,  where  he  gradually 
became  so  clever,  that  the  ma.*tcrs  all  praised  his  extraordi- 
nary attention,  and  covered  him  with  medals,  while  Major 
Graham  often  fdled  his  pockets  with  a  reward  of  money, 
after  which  he  ran  towards  the  nearest  shop  to  spend  his 
little  fortune  in  buying  a  present  for  somebody.  Frank 
scarcely  ever  wanted  anything  for  himself,  but  he  always 
wished  to  contrive  some  kind  generous  plan  for  other  peo- 
ple; and  Major  Graham  used  to  say,  "if  that  boy  had  only 
sixpence  in  the  world,  he  would  lay  it  all  out  on  penny 
tarts  to  distribute  among  half-a-dozen  of  his  friends."  lie 
even  saved  his  pocket-money  once,  during  three  whole 
months,  to  purchase  a  gown  for  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who  looked 
almost  good-humoured  during  the  space  of  five  minutes, 
when  Frank  presented  it  to  her,  saying,  in  his  joyous  merry 
voice,  "Mrs.  Crabtree!  I  wish  you  health  to  wear  it, 
strength  to  tear  it,  and  money  to  buy  another !" 

Certainly  there  never  was  such  a  gown  before!  It  had 
been  chosen  by  Frank  and  Harry  together,  who  thought 
nothing  could  be  more  perfect.  The  colour  was  so  bright 
an  api)le-green,  that  it  would  have  put  any  body's  teeth  on 
edge  to  look  at  it,  and  the  whole  was  dotted  over  with  large 
round  spots  of  every  colour,  as  if  a  box  of  wafers  had  been 
Bhowored  upon  the  surface.  Laura  wished  Mrs.  Crabtrco 
might  receive  a  present  every  day,  as  it  put  her  in  such 
good-humour,  and  nearly  three  weeks  after  passed  this, 
without  a  single  scold  being  heard   in  the   nursery  ;    so 


CHIT    CHAT.  19 

Frauk  obsei-ved  that  he  thought  Mrs.  Crabtree  would  soon 
be  quite  out  of  practice. 

"Laura!"  said  Major  Graham,  looking  very  sly  one 
morning,  "  have  you  heard  all  the  new  rules  that  Mrs. 
Crabtree  has  made  V' 

"  No !"  replied  she  in  great  alarm  ;   "  what  are  they  ?" 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  are  positively  not  to  tear  and  de- 
stroy above  three  frocks  a-day ;  secondly,  you  and  Harry 
must  never  get  into  a  passion,  unless  you  are  angry  ;  third- 
ly, when  either  of  you  take  medicine,  you  are  not  to 
make  wry  faces,  except  when  the  taste  is  bad  ;  fourthly, 
you  must  never  speak  ill  of  Mrs.  Crabtree  herself,  until  she 
is  out  of  the  room  ;  fifthly,  you  are  not  to  jump  out  of  the 
windows,  as  long  as  you  can  get  out  at  the  door  " 

"Yes!"  interrupted  Laura,  laughing,  "and  sixthly, 
when  uncle  David  is  joking,  we  are  not  to  be  frightened  by 
anything  he  says!" 

"  Seventhly,  when  next  you  spill  grandmama's  bottle 
of  ink,  Harry  must  drink  up  every  drop." 

"  Very  well !  he  may  swallow  a  sheet  of  blotting  paper 
afterwards,  to  put  away  the  taste." 

"  I  wish  every  body  who  writes  a  book,  was  obliged  to 
swallow  it,"  said  Harry.  "  It  is  such  a  waste  of  time 
reading,  when  we  might  be  amusing  ourselves.  Frank 
sat  mooning  over  a  book  for  two  hours  yesterday  when  we 
wanted  him  to  play.  I  am  sure,  some  day  his  head  will 
burst  with  knowledge." 

"That  can  never  happen  to  you,  Master  Harry,"  answer- 
ed Major  Graham  ;  "  you  have  a  head,  and  so  has  a  pin, 
but  there  is  not  much  furniture  in  either  of  them." 


CHAPTER  IL 


THE  GRAND  FEAST. 

She  pave  tlinn  some  tea  witliout  any  bread, 
*       She  whipp'd  them  all  soundly,  and  sent  them  to  bed. 

NORSERY    RUVMES. 

Lady  Harriet  Graham  wa.s  an  extremely  thin,  delicate,  old 
lady,  with  a  very  pale  face,  and  a  sweet  gentle  voice,  which 
the  children  delighted  to  hear,  for  it  always  spoke  kindly  to 
thorn,  and  sounded  like  music,  after  the  loud,  rough  tones 
of  Mrs.  Crabtrec.  She  wore  her  own  grey  hair,  which  had 
become  almost  as  white  as  the  widow's  cap  which  covered 
her  head.  The  rest  of  her  dress  was  generally  black  velvet, 
and  she  usually  sat  in  a  comfortable  arm-chair  by  the  fire- 
side, watching  her  grandchildren  at  play,  with  a  large  work- 
bag  by  her  side,  and  a  prodigious  Bible  open  on  the  table 
before  her.  Lady  Harriet  often  said  that  it  made  her 
young  again  to  see  the  joyous  gambols  of  Harry  and  Lau- 
ra ;  and  when  unable  any  longer  to  bear  their  noise,  she 
sometimes  kept  them  qiiiet,  by  telling  the  most  delightful 
stories  about  what  had  happened  to  herself  when  she  wt^a 
young. 

Once  iijton  a  time,  however,  I^ady  Harriet  suddenly 
became  so  very  ill,  that  Dr.  Bell  said  she  must  spend 
a  few  days  in  the  country,  for  change  of  air,  and  ac- 
cordingly she  determined  on  passing  a  <piict  week  at  Holi- 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  21 

day  House  with  her  relations,  Lord  and  Lady  Rockville. 
Meanwhile,  Harry  and  Laura  were  to  be  left  under  the  sole 
care  of  Mrs.  Crabtree,  so  it  might  have  been  expected  that 
they  would  both  feel  more  frightened  for  her,  now  that  she 
was  reigning  monarch  of  the  house,  than  ever.  Harry 
would  obey  those  he  loved,  if  they  only  held  up  a  little 
finger  ;  but  all  the  terrors  of  Mrs.  Crabtree,  and  her  cat-o'- 
nine-tails,  were  generally  forgotten  soon  after  she  left  the 
room  ;  therefore  he  thought  little  at  first  about  the  many 
threats  she  held  out,  if  he  behaved  ill,  but  he  listened  most 
seriously  when  his  dear  sick  grandmama  told  him,  in  a 
faint  weak  voice,  on  the  day  of  her  departure  from  home, 
how  very  well  he  ought  to  behave  in  her  absence,  as  no  one 
remained  but  the  maids  to  keep  him  in  order,  and  that  she 
hoped  Mrs.  Crabtree  would  write  her  a  letter  full  of  good 
news  about  his  excellent  conduct. 

Harry  felt  as  if  he  would  gladly  sit  still  without  stirring, 
till  his  grandmama  came  back,  if  that  could  only  please 
her  ;  and  there  never  was  any  one  more  determined  to  be  a 
good  boy  than  he,  at  the  moment  when  Lady  Harriet's  car- 
riage came  round  to  the  door.  Laura,  Frank,  and  Harry  help- 
ed to  carry  all  the  pillows,  boxes,  books,  and  baskets  which 
were  necessary  for  the  journey,  of  which  there  seemed  to  be 
about  fifty  ;  then  they  arranged  the  cushions  as  comfortably 
as  possil)le,  and  watched  very  sorrowfully  when  their  grand- 
mama, after  kindly  embracing  them  both,  was  carefully  sup- 
ported by  Major  Graham  and  her  maid  Harrison,  into  the 
chariot.  Uncle  David  gave  each  of  the  children  a  pretty  pic- 
ture-book before  taking  leave,  and  said,  as  he  was  stepping 
into  the  carriage,  "  Now,  children  !  I  have  only  one  piece 
of  serious,  important  advice  to  give  you  all,  so  attend  to  me ! 
— never  crack  nuts  with  your  teeth  I" 

When  the  carriage  had  driven  oflj  Mrs.  Crabtree  became 
so  busy  scolding  Betty,  and  storming  at  Jack  the  foot-boy, 
for  not  cleaning  her  shoes  well  enough,  that  she  left  Harry 


M  THE    GRAND    FEAST. 

and  Laura  standing  in  the  passage,  not  knoning  exactly 
what  thoy  ought  to  do  first,  and  Frank,  seeing fhcin  looking 
rather  niclaucholy  and  bewildered  at  the  loss  of  their  crand- 
mama,  stopped  a  moment  as  he  passed  on  the  way  to  school, 
and  said  in  a  very  kind,  affectionate  voice, 

"  Now,  Harry  and  Laura,  listen  both  of  you ! — here  is  a 
grand  opportunity  to  show  everybody,  that  we  can  be  trusted 
to  ourselves,  without  getting  into  any  scrapes,  so  that  if 
grandmama  is  ever  ill  again,  and  obliged  to  go  away,  she 
need  not  feel  so  sad  and  anxious  as  she  did  to-day.  I  mean 
to  become  nine  times  more  attentive  to  my  lessons  than 
usual  this  morning,  to  show  how  trust- worthy  we  arc,  and 
if  you  are  wise,  pray  march  straight  up  to  the  nursery  your- 
selves. I  have  arranged  a  gown  and  cap  of  Mrs.  Crabtree's 
on  the  large  arm-chair,  to  look  as  like  herself  as  possible, 
that  you  may  be  reminded  how  soon  she  will  come  back, 
and  you  must  not  behave  like  the  mice  when  the  cat  is  out. 
Good  bye!  Say  the  alphabet  backward,  and  count  your  fin- 
gers for  half-an-hour,  but  when  Mrs.  Crabtree  appears  again, 
pray  do  not  jump  out  of  the  window  for  joy." 

Harry  and  Laura  were  proceeding  directly  towards  the 
nursery,  as  Frank  had  recommended,  when  unluckily  they 
observed  in  passing  the  drawing-room  door,  tliat  it  was  wide 
open;  so  Harry  peeped  in,  and  they  began  idly  wandering 
round  the  tables  and  cabinets.  Not  ten  minutes  elapsed 
before  they  both  commenced  racing  about  as  if  they  were 
mad,  perfectly  screaming  with  joy,  and  laughing  so  loudly 
at  their  own  funny  tricks,  that  an  old  gentleman  who  lived 
next  door,  very  nearly  sent  in  a  message  to  ask  what  the 
joke  was. 

Presently  Harry  and  Laura  ran  up  and  d<.wn  stairs  till 
the  housemaid  was  quite  fatigued  with  running  af\cr  them. 
They  jumped  upon  the  fine  damask  sofas  in  the  drawing- 
room,  stirred  the  fire  till  it  was  in  a  blaze,  and  rushed  out 
o]i  the  balcony,  upsetting  one  or  two  geraniums  and  a  myr- 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  23 

tie.  They  spilt  Lady  Harriet's  perfumes  over  their  hand- 
kerchiefs,— they  looked  into  all  the  beautiful  books  of  pic- 
tures,— they  tumbled  many  of  the  prelty  Dresden  china 
figures  on  the  floor, — they  wound  up  the  little  French  clock 
till  it  was  broken, — they  made  the  musical  work-box  play 
its  tunes,  and  set  the  Chinese  mandarins  nodding,  till  they 
very  nearly  nodded  their  heads  off.  In  short,  so  much  mis- 
chief has  seldom  been  done  in  so  short  a  time,  till  at  last 
Harry,  perfectly  worn  out  with  laughing  and  running,  threw 
himself  into  a  large  arm-chair,  and  Laura,  with  her  ringlets 
tumbling  in  frightful  confusion  over  her  face,  and  the  beads 
of  her  coral  necklace  rolling  on  the  floor,  tossed  herself  into 
a  sofa  beside  him. 

"  Oh !  what  fun  !"  cried  Harry,  in  an  ecstacy  of  delight ; 
"  I  wish  Frank  had  been  here,  and  crowds  of  little  boys  and 
girls,  to  play  with  us  all  day !  It  would  be  a  good  joke, 
Laura,  to  write  and  ask  all  our  little  cousins  and  compan- 
ions to  drink  tea  here  to-morrow  evening  !  Their  mamas 
could  never  guess  we  had  not  leave  from  grandmama  to  in- 
vite everybody,  so  I  dare  say  we  might  gather  quite  a  large 
party  !  oh  !  how  enchanting!" 

Laura  laughed  heartily  when  she  heard  this  proposal  of 
Harry's,  and  without  hesitating  a  moment  about  it,  she  joy- 
ously placed  herself  before  Lady  Harriet's  writing-table,  and 
scribbled  a  multitude  of  little  notes,  in  large  text,  to  more 
than  twenty  young  friends,  all  of  whom  had  at  other  times 
been  asked  by  Lady  Harriet  to  spend  the  evening  with  her. 

Laura  felt  very  much  puzzled  to  know  what  was  usually 
said  in  a  card  of  invitation,  but  after  many  consultations, 
she  and  Harry  thought  at  last,  that  it  was  very  nicely  ex- 
pressed, for  they  wrote  these  words  upon  a  large  sheet  of 
paper  to  each  of  their  friends  : — 

Master  Harry  Graham  and  Miss  Laura  wish  you  to  have 
the  honour  of  drinking  tea  with  us  to-morrow,  at  six  o'clock. 

(Signed)         Harry  and  Laura. 


24  THE    GRAND    FEAST. 

Laura  afterwards  singed  a  hole  in  her  mvislin  frocK,  wnile 
lighting  one  of  the  Vesta  matches  to  seal  these  numerous 
notes;  and  Harry  dropped  some  burning  sealing-wax  on 
his  hand,  in  the  hurry  of  assisting  her  ;  but  he  thought  that 
little  accident  no  matter,  and  ran  away  to  see  if  the  cards 
could  be  sent  off  immediately. 

Now,  there  lived  in  the  house  a  very  old  footman,  called 
Andrew,  who  remembered  Harry  and  Laura  since  they  were 
quite  little  babies  ;  and  he  often  looked  exceedingly  sad  and 
sorry  when  they  suffered  punishment  from  Mrs.  Crabtree. 
He  was  ready  to  do  anything  in  the  world  when  it  pleased 
the  children,  and  would  have  carried  a  message  to  the  moon, 
if  they  had  only  shown  him  the  way.  Many  odd  jobs  and 
private  messages  he  had  already  been  employed  in  by  Har- 
ry, who  now  called  Andrew  up  stairs,  entreating  him  to  car- 
ry out  all  those  absurd  notes  as  fast  as  possible,  and  to  de- 
liver them  immediately,  as  they  were  of  the  greatest  conse- 
quence. Upon  hearing  this,  old  Andrew  lost  not  a  moment, 
but  threw  on  his  hat,  and  instantly  started  off,  looking  like 
the  twopenny  postman,  he  carried  such  a  prodigious  parcel 
of  invitations,  while  Harry  and  Laura  stood  at  the  drawing- 
room  window,  almost  screaming  with  joy  when  they  saw 
him  set  out,  and  when  they  observed  that,  to  oblicre  them, 
he  actually  ran  along  the  street  at  a  sort  of  trot,  which  was 
as  fa.st  a-s  he  could  possibly  go.  Presently,  however,  he 
certainly  did  stop  for  a  single  minute,  and  liaura  saw  that 
it  was  in  order  to  take  a  peep  into  one  of  the  notes,  that  ho 
might  ascertain  what  they  were  all  about ;  but  as  he  never 
carried  any  letters  without  doing  so,  she  thought  that  quite 
natural,  and  was  only  very  glad  when  he  had  finished,  and 
rapidly  piirsued  his  way  again. 

Next  mf)rning,  Mrs.  ("rabtree  and  Ketty  became  very 
much  'iurprispd  to  observe  what  a  number  of  smart  livery 
servants  knocked  at  the  street  door,  and  gave  in  cards,  but 
their  astonishment  became  still  greater,  when  old   Andrew 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  ,  25 

brought  up  a  whole  parcel  of  them  to  Harry  and  Laura,  who 
immediately  broke  the  seals,  and  read  the  contents  in  a  cor- 
ner together. 

"  What  are  you  about  there,  Master  Graham  1"  cried 
Mrs.  Crabtree,  angrily,  "  how  dare  any  body  venture  to 
touch  your  grandmama's  letters  ?" 

"  They  are  not  for  grandmama  ! — they  are  all  for  us! — 
every  one  of  them  !"  answered  Harry,  dancing  about  the 
room  with  joy,  and  waving  the  notes  over  his  head.  "  Look 
at  this  direction  !  For  Master  and  Miss  Graham  !  put  on 
your  spectacles,  and  read  it  yourself,  Mrs.  Crabtree  !  What 
delightful  fun  !  the  house  will  be  as  full  as  an  egg  !" 

Mrs.  Crabtree  seemed  completely  puzzled  what  to  think 
of  all  this,  and  looked  so  much  as  if  she  did  not  know  ex- 
actly what  to  be  angry  at,  and  so  ready  to  be  in  a  passion  if 
possible,  that  Harry  burst  out  a  laughing,  while  he  said, 
"  Only  think  Mrs.  Crabtree!  here  is  every  body  coming  to  tea 
with  us  ! — all  my  cousins,  besides  Peter  Grey,  Robert  Stew- 
art, Charles  Forrester,  Adelaide  Cunninghame,  Diana 
Wentworth,  John  Fordyce,  Edmund  Ashford,  Frank  Aber- 
cromby,  Ned  Russel,  and  Tom " 

"  The  boy  is  distracted !"  exclaimed  Betty,  staring  with 
astonishment.     "What  does  all  this  mean,  Master  Harry  1" 

"  And  who  gave  you  leave  to  invite  company  into  your 
grandmama's  house  1"  cried  Mrs.  Crabtree,  snatching  up 
all  the  notes,  and  angrily  thrusting  them  into  the  fire.  "I 
never  heard  of  such  things  in  all  my  life  before.  Master 
Harry  !  but  as  sure  as  eggs  is  eggs,  you  shall  repent  of  this, 
for  not  one  morsel  of  cake,  or  anything  else  shall  you  have 
to  give  any  of  the  party  ;  no  !  not  so  much  as  a  crust  of 
bread,  or  a  thimbleful  of  tea!" 

Harry  and  Laura  had  never  thought  of  such  a  catastro- 
phe as  this  before ;  they  always  saw  a  great  table  covered 
with  every  thing  that  could  be  named  for  tea,  whenever 
their  little  friends  came  to  visit  them,  and  whether  it  rose 

C 


26  THE    GRAND    FEAST. 

out  of  the  floor,  or  was  brought  by  Aladdin's  lamp,  they 
never  considered  it  possible  that  the  table  would  not  be 
provided  as  usual  on  such  occa.-ions,  so  this  terrible  speech 
of  Mrs.  Crabtree's  frightened  them  out  of  their  wits.  What 
was  to  be  done  !  They  both  knew  by  experience  that  she 
always  did  whatever  she  threatened,  or  something  a  great  deal 
worse,  so  they  began  by  bursting  into  tears,  and  begging 
Mrs.  Crabtree  for  this  once  to  excuse  them,  and  to  give 
some  cakes  and  tea  to  their  little  visitors,  but  they  might  as 
well  have  spoken  to  one  of  the  Chinese  mandarins,  for  she 
only  shook  her  head,  with  a  positive  look,  declaring  over 
and  over  again  that  nothing  should  appear  upon  the  table 
except  what  was  always  brought  up  for  their  own  supper — 
two  biscuits  and  two  cups  of  milk. 

"  Therefore  say  no  more  about  it  I"  added  she,  sternly. 
"  I  am  your  best  friend.  Master  Harry,  trying  to  teach  you 
and  Miss  I^aura  your  duty,  so  save  your  breath  to  cool  your 
porridge." 

Poor  Harry  and  Laura  looked  perfectly  ill  with  fright  and 
vexation  when  they  thought  of  what  was  to  happen  next, 
while  Mrs.  Crabtree  sat  down  to  her  knitting,  grumbling  to 
herself,  and  dropping  her  stitches  every  minute  with  rage 
and  irritation.  Old  Andrew  felt  exceedingly  sorry  after  he 
heard  what  distress  and  difficulty  Harry  was  in,  and  when 
the  hour  for  the  party  approached,  he  very  good-naturedly 
spread  out  a  large  table  in  the  dining-room,  where  he  put 
down  as  many  cups,  saucers,  plates,  and  spoons  as  Laura 
chose  to  direct ;  but  in  spite  of  all  his  trouble,  though  it 
looked  very  grand,  there  was  nothing  whatever  to  eat  or 
drink,  except  the  two  dry  biscuit.s,  and  the  two  miserable 
cups  of  milk,  which  seemed  to  become  smaller  every  time 
that  Harry  looked  at  them. 

Presently  the  clock  struck  six,  and  Harry  listened  to  the 
hour  very  much  as  a  prisoner  would  do  in  the  condemned 
cell  in  Newgate,  feeling  that  the  dreaded  time  was  at  last 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  27 

arrived.  Soon  afterwards,  several  handsome  carriages 
drove  up  to  the  door  filled  with  little  Masters  and  Misses, 
who  hurried  joyfully  into  the  house,  talking  and  laughing 
all  the  way  up  stairs,  being  evidently  quite  happy  at  coming 
out  to  tea,  while  poor  Harry  and  Laura  almost  wished  the 
floor  would  open  and  swallow  them  up,  so  they  shrunk  into 
a  distant  corner  of  the  room,  quite  ashamed  to  show  their 
faces. 

The  young  ladies  were  all  dressed  in  their  best  frocks, 
with  pink  sashes,  and  pink  shoes  ;  while  the  little  boys 
appeared  in  their  holiday  clothes,  with  their  hair  newly 
brushed,  and  their  faces  washed.  The  whole  party  had  dined 
at  two  o'clock,  so  they  were  as  hungry  as  hawks,  looking 
eagerly  round,  whenever  they  entered,  to  see  what  was  on 
the  tea-table,  and  evidently  surprised  that  nothing  had  yet 
been  put  down.  Laura  and  Harry  soon  afterwards  heard 
their  visitors  whispering  to  each  other  about  Norwich  buns, 
rice  cakes,  spunge  biscuits,  and  maccaroons ;  while  Peter 
Grey  was  loud  in  praise  of  a  party  at  George  Lorraine's 
the  night  before,  where  an  immense  plum-cake  had  been 
sugared  over  like  a  snow  storm,  and  covered  with  crowds 
of  beautiful  amusing  mottoes  ;  not  to  mention  a  quantity 
of  noisy  crackers,  that  exploded  like  pistols ;  besides 
which,  a  glass  of  hot  jelly  had  been  handed  to  each  little 
guest  before  he  was  sent  home. 

Every  time  the  door  opened,  all  eyes  were  anxiously 
turned  round,  expecting  a  grand  feast  to  be  brought  in  ;  but 
quite  the  contrary — it  was  only  Andrew  showing  up  more 
hungry  visitors  ;  while  Harry  felt  so  unspeakably  wretched, 
that,  if  some  kind  fairy  could  only  have  turned  him  into  a 
Norwich  bun  at  the  moment,  he  would  gladly  have  consent- 
ed to  be  cut  in  pieces,  that  his  ravenous  guests  might  be 
satisfied. 

Charles  Forrester  was  a  particularly  good-natured  boy, 
so  Harry  at  last  took  courage  and  beckoned  him   into  a 


28  THE    GRAND    FEAST. 

remote  corner  of  the  room,  Mhere  he  confessed,  in  whi!=fpers, 
the  real  state  of  affairs  about  tea,  and  how  sadly  distressed 
he  and  Laura  felt,  because  they  had  nothing  whatever  to 
give  among  so  many  visitors,  seeing  that  Mrs.  Crabtree 
kept  her  determination  of  affording  them  no  provisions. 

"  What  is  to  be  done !"  said  Charles,  very  anxiously,  aa 
he  felt  extremely  sorry  for  his  little  friends.  "  If  Mania 
had  been  at  home,  she  would  gladly  have  sent  whatever  you 
liked  for  tea,  but  unluckily  she  is  dining  out !  I  saw  a  loaf 
of  bread  lying  on  a  table  at  home  this  evening,  which  she 
would  make  you  quite  welcome  to !  Shall  I  run  home,  as 
fast  as  possible,  to  fetch  hi  That  would,  at  any  rate,  bo 
better  than  nothing  !" 

Poor  Charles  Forrester  was  very  lame,  therefore,  while 
he  talked  of  running  he  could  hardly  walk,  but  Lady  For- 
rester's house  stood  so  near,  that  he  soon  reached  home, 
when,  snatching  up  the  loaf,  he  hurried  back  towards  the 
street  with  his  prize,  quite  delighted  to  see  how  large  and 
substantial  it  looked.  Scarcely  had  he  reached  the  door, 
however,  before  the  housekeeper  ran  hastily  out,  saying, 

"  Stop,  Mr.  Charles  !  stop  !  sure  you  are  not  running 
away  with  the  loaf  for  my  tea,  and  the  parrot  must  have 
her  supper  too.     What  do  you  want  with  that  there  bread?" 

"^evcr  mind,  Mrs.  Comfit!"  answered  Charles,  hasten- 
ing on  faster  than  ever,  while  he  grasped  the  precious  loaf 
more  firmly  in  his  hand,  and  limped  along  at  a  prodigious 
rate,  "Polly  is  getting  too  fat,  so  she  will  be  the  better  of 
fasting  for  this  one  day." 

Mrs.  Comfit,  being  enormously  fat  herself,  became  very 
angry  at  this  remark,  so  she  seemed  quite  desperate  to  re- 
cover the  loaf,  and  hurried  forward  to  overtake  Charles,  but 
the  old  housekeeper  was  so  heavy  and  breathless,  while  the 
young  gentleman  was  so  lame,  that  it  seemed  an  even 
chance  which  won  the  race.  Harry  stood  at  his  own  door, 
impatiently  hoping  to  receive  the  prize,  and  eagerly  stretch- 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  29 

ed  out  his  arms  to  encourage  his  friend,  while  it  was  impos- 
sible to  say  which  of  the  runners  might  arrive  ^irst.  Harry- 
had  sometimes  heard  of  a  race  between  two  old  women  tied 
up  in  sacks,  and  he  thought  they  could  scarcely  move  with 
more  difficulty ;  but  at  the  very  moment  when  Charles  had 
reached  the  door,  he  stumbled  over  a  stone,  and  fell  on  the 
gi'ound.  Mrs.  Comfit  then  instantly  rushed  up,  and  seizing 
the  loaf,  she  carried  it  off  in  triumph,  leaving  the  two  little 
friends  ready  to  cry  with  vexation,  and  quite  at  a  loss  what 
plan  to  attempt  next. 

Mean  time,  a  sad  riot  had  arisen  in  the  dining-room, 
where  the  boys  called  loudly  for  their  tea ;  and  the  young 
ladies  drew  their  chairs  all  round  the  table,  to  wait  till  it  was 
ready.  Still  nothing  appeared ;  so  every  body  wondered 
more  and  more  how  long  they  were  to  wait  for  all  the  nice 
cakes  and  sweetmeats  which  must,  of  course,  be  coming  ; 
for  the  longer  they  were  delayed,  the  more  was  expected. 

The  last  at  a  feast,  and  the  first  at  a  fray,  was  generally 
Peter  Grey,  who  now  lost  patience,  and  seized  one  of  the 
two  biscuits,  which  he  was  in  the  middle  of  greedily  de- 
vouring, when  Laura  returned  with  Harry  to  the  dining- 
room,  and  observed  what  he  had  done. 

"  Peter  Grey !"  said  she,  holding  up  her  head,  and  try- 
ing to  look  very  dignified,  "  you  are  an  exceedingly  naugh- 
ty boy,  to  help  yourself !  As  a  punishment  for  being  so 
rude,  you  shall  have  nothing  more  to  eat  all  this  evening." 

"  If  I  do  not  help  myself,  nobody  else  seems  likely  to 
give  me  any  supper !  I  appear  to  be  the  only  person  who 
is  to  taste  anything  to-night,"  answered  Peter,  laughing, 
while  the  impudent  boy  took  a  cup  of  milk,  and  drank  it 
off,  saying,  "  Here's  to  your  very  good  health.  Miss  Laura, 
and  an  excellent  appetite  to  everybody  I" 

Upon  hearing  this  absurd  speech,  all  the  other  boys  be- 
gan laughing,  and  made  signs,  as  if  they  were  eating  their 
fingers  off  with  hunger.     Then  Peter  called  Lady  Harriet's 

c2 


30  THE    GRAND    FEAST. 

house  "  Famine  Castle,"  and  pretended  he  would  swallow 
the  knives  like  an  Indian  juggler. 

"  We  must  learn  to  live  upon  air,  and  here  are  some 
spoons  to  eat  it  with,"  said  Juhn  Fordyce.  "  Harry  !  shall 
I  help  you  to  a  mouthful  of  moonshine  ?" 

"  Peter  !  would  you  like  a  roasted  fly  ?"  asked  Frank 
Abercromby,  catching  one  on  the  window.  "  I  dare  say  it 
is  excellent  for  hungry  people, — or  a  slice  of  buttered  wall  ?" 

"  Or  a  stewed  spider?"  asked  Peter.  "  Shall  we  all  be 
cannibals,  and  cat  one  another  ?" 

"  What  is  the  use  of  all  those  forks,  when  there  is  no- 
thing to  stick  upon  them  ?"  asked  George  Maxwell,  throw- 
ing them  about  on  the  floor.  "  No  buns  ! — no  fruit! — no 
cakes  ! — no  nothing  !" 

"  AVhat  are  we  to  do  with  those  tea-cups,  when  there  is 
no  tea  I"  cried  Frank  Abercromby,  pulling  the  tal)le-cloth 
till  the  whole  atFair  fell  prostrate  on  the  floor.  After  this, 
these  riotous  boys  tossed  the  plates  up  in  the  air,  and  caught 
them,  becoming,  at  last,  so  outrageous,  that  poor  old 
Andrew  called  them  a  "  meal  mob."  Never  was  there 
so  much  broken  china  seen  in  a  dining-room  before!  It 
all  lay  scattered  on  the  floor,  in  countless  fnigments,  looking 
as  if  there  had  been  a  bull  in  a  china  shop,  when  suddenly 
Mrs.  Crai)tree  herself  opened  the  door  and  walked  in,  with 
an  aspect  of  nxge  enough  to  petrify  a  milestone.  Now  old 
Andrew  had  long  been  trying  all  in  his  power  to  render  the 
boys  quiet  and  contented.  He  had  made  them  a  speech, — 
he  had  chased  the  ring-leaders  all  round  the  room, — and  he 
had  thrown  his  stick  at  Peter,  who  seemed  the  most  riotous, 
— but  all  in  vain  ;  they  became  worse  and  worse,  laughing 
into  fits,  and  calling  Andrew  "the  police-ofrlcer,"  and  "the 
bailill."  It  was  a  very  diflerent  story,  hcnvever,  when  Mrs. 
Crabtree  appeared,  so  flaming  with  fury,  she  might  have 
blown  up  a  powder-mill. 

Nobody  could  help   being  afraid  of  her.     Even  Peter 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  31 

himself  stood  stock-still,  and  seemed  withering  away  to  no- 
thing, when  she  looked  at  him  ;  and  when  she  began  to  scold 
in  her  most  furious  manner,  not  a  boy  ventured  to  look  off 
the  ground.  A  large  pair  of  tawse  then  became  visible  in 
her  hand,  so  every  heart  sunk  with  fright,  and  the  riotous 
visitors  began  to  get  behind  each  other,  and  to  huddle  out 
of  sight  as  much  as  possible,  whispering  and  pushing,  and 
fighting,  in  a  desperate  scuffle  to  escape. 

"  What  is  all  this  !"  cried  she,  at  the  full  pitch  of  her 
voice,  "  has  bedlam  broke  loose  !  who  smashed  these  cups  ? 
I'll  break  his  head  for  him,  let  me  tell  you  that !  Master 
Peter  !  you  should  be  hissed  out  of  the  world  for  your  mis- 
conduct ;  but  I  shall  certainly  whip  you  round  the  room 
like  a  whipping-top." 

At  this  moment,  Peter  observed  that  the  dining-room 
window,  which  was  only  about  six  feet  from  the  ground, 
had  been  left  wide  open,  so  instantly  seizing  the  opportu- 
nity, he  threw  himself  out  with  a  single  bound,  and  ran 
laughing  away.  All  the  other  boys  immediately  followed 
his  example,  and  disappeared  by  the  same  road ;  after 
which,  Mrs.  Crabtree  leaned  far  out  of  the  window,  and 
scolded  loudly,  as  long  as  they  remained  in  sight,  till  her 
face  became  red,  and  her  voice  perfectly  hoarse. 

Meantime,  the  little  misses  sat  soberly  down  before  the 
empty  table,  and  talked  in  whispers  to  each  other,  waiting 
till  their  maids  came  to  take  them  home,  after  which  they 
all  hurried  away  as  fast  as  possible,  hardly  waiting  to  say 
"  good  bye,"  and  intending  to  ask  for  some  supper  at  home. 

During  that  night,  long  after  Harry  and  Laura  had  been 
scolded,  whipped,  and  put  to  bed,  they  were  each  heard  in 
dilferent  rooms,  sobbing  and  crying,  as  if  their  very  hearts 
would  break,  while  Mrs.  Crabtree  grumbled  and  scolded  to 
herself,  saying  she  must  do  her  duty,  and  make  them  good 
children,  though  she  were  to  flay  them  alive  first. 

When  Lady  Harriet  returned  home  some  days  afterwards, 


32  THE    GRAND  FEAST. 

she  heard  an  account  of  llarry  and  Laura's  misconduct  from 
Mrs.  Crabtrec,  and  the  whole  story  was  such  a  terrible  case 
against  them,  that  their  poor  grandniama  became  perfectly 
astonished  and  shocked,  while  even  uncle  David  was  pre- 
paring to  be  very  angry ;  but  before  the  culprits  appeared, 
Frank  most  kindly  stepped  forward,  and  begged  that  they 
might  be  pardoned  for  this  once,  adding  all  in  his  power  to 
excuse  Harry  and  Laura,  by  describing  how  very  penitent 
they  had  become,  and  how  very  severely  they  had  already 
been  punished. 

Frank  then  mentioned  all  that  Harry  had  told  him  about 
the  starving  party,  which  he  related  with  so  much  humour 
and  drollery,  that  Lady  Harriet  could  not  help  laughing  ; 
so  then  he  saw  that  a  victory  had  been  gained,  and  ran  to 
the  nursery  for  the  two  little  prisoners. 

Untie  Uavid  shook  his  walking-stick  at  them,  and  made 
a  terrible  face,  when  they  entered  ;  but  Harry  jumped  upon 
his  knee  with  joy  at  seeing  him  again,  while  Laura  forgot 
all  her  distress,  and  rushed  u[)  to  Lady  Harriet,  who  folded 
her  in  her  arms,  and  kissed  her  most  affectionately. 

Not  a  word  was  said  that  day  about  the  tea-party,  but  next 
morning,  Major  Graham  asked  Harry,  very  gravely,  "  if  he 
had  read  in  the  newspapers  the  melancholy  accounts  about 
several  of  his  little  companions,  who  were  ill  and  confined 
to  bed  from  having  ate  too  much  at  a  certain  tea-party  on 
Saturday  last.  Poor  Peter  Grey  has  been  given  over,  and 
Charles  Forrester,  it  is  feared,  may  Jiot  be  able  to  cat  ano- 
ther loaf  of  bread  for  a  fortnight!" 

"Oh  !  uncle  David  !  it  makes  me  ill  whenever  I  think  of 
that  party  !"  said  Harry,  colouring  perfectly  scarlet;  "that 
was  the  most  miseral)le  evening  of  my  life  !" 

"I  must  say  it  was  not  quite  fair  in  Mrs.  Crabtree  to 
starve  all  the  strange  little  boys  and  girls,  who  came  as  vis- 
itors to  my  house,  without  knowing  who  had  invited  them," 
observed  Lady  Harriet.     "  Probably  those  unlucky  children 


THE    GRAND    FEAST.  33 

will  never  forget,  as  long  as  they  live,  that  scanty  supper  in 
our  dining-room." 

And  it  turned  out  exactly  as  Lady  Harriet  had  predicted ; 
for  though  they  were  all  asked  to  tea,  in  proper  time,  the 
very  next  Saturday,  when  Major  Graham  showered  torrents 
of  sugar-plums  on  the  table,  while  the  children  scrambled  to 
pick  them  up,  and  the  side-board  almost  broke  down  after- 
wards under  the  weight  of  buns,  cakes,  cheesecakes,  biscuits, 
fruit,  and  preserves,  which  were  heaped  upon  each  other — 
yet,  for  years  afterwards,  Peter  Grey,  whenever  he  ate  a 
particularly  enormous  dinner,  always  observed,  that  he  must 
make  up  for  having  once  been  starved  at  Harry  Graham's  ; 
and  whenever  any  one  of  those  little  boys  or  girls  again 
happened  to  meet  Harry  or  Laura,  they  were  sure  to  laugh 
and  say,  "  When  are  you  going  to  give  us  another 

"GRAND    FEAST  1" 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  TERRIBLE  FIRE. 

Fire  rages  with  fury  wherever  it  comes, 
If  only  one  spark  sliould  be  dropped  ; 
Whole  houses,  or  cities,  soniciinics  it  consumes, 
Where  its  violence  cannot  be  stopped. 

One  night,  about  eight  o'clock,  Harry  and  Laura  were  play- 
ing in  the  nursery,  building  houses  with  bricks,  and  trying 
who  could  raise  the  highest  tower  without  letting  it  tall, 
when  suddenly  they  were  startled  to  hear  every  bell  in  tho 
house  ringing  violently,  while  the  servants  seemed  running 
up  and  down  stairs,  as  if  they  were  distracted. 

"  What  can  be  the  matter!"  cried  Laura,  turning  round 
and  listening,  while  Harry  quietly  took  this  opportunity  to 
shak(!  the  walls  of  her  castle  till  it  fell. 

"  The  very  house  is  coming  down  about  your  ears,  Lau- 
ra !"  said  Harry,  enjoying  his  little  bit  of  mischief.  "  I 
should  like  to  be  Andrew,  now,  for  five  minutes,  that  I  might 
answer  those  fifty  bells,  and  see  what  has  happened.  Uncle 
David  must  be  wanting  coals,  candles,  tea,  toast,  and  soda 
water,  all  at  once!  AVhat  a  bustle  everybody  is  in  !  There! 
the  bells  are  ringing  again,  worse  than  ever!  Something 
wonderful  is  going  on  !  what  can  it  be!" 

Presently  Hefty  ran  breathlessly  into  the  room,  saying 
that  Mrs.  Crabtrcc  ought  to  come  down  stairs  immediately, 
as  Lady  Harriet  had   been  suddenly  taken  very   ill,  and,  till 


THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE.  3& 

the  Doctor  arrived,  nobody  knew  what  to  do,  so  she  must 
give  her  advice  and  assistance. 

Haiy  and  Laura  felt  excessively  shocked  to  hear  this 
alarming  news,  and  listened  with  grave  attention,  while  Mrs. 
Crabtree  told  them  how  amazingly  well  they  ought  to  behave 
in  her  absence,  when  they  were  trusted  alone  in  the  nursery, 
with  nobody  to  keep  them  in  order,  or  to  see  what  they  were 
doing,  especially  now,  as  their  grandmama  had  been  taken 
ill,  and  would  require  to  be  kept  quiet. 

Harry  sat  in  his  chair,  and  might  have  been  painted  as 
the  very  picture  of  a  good  boy  during  nearly  twenty  minutes 
after  Mrs.  Crabtree  departed  ;  and  Laura  placed  herself  op- 
posite to  him,  trying  to  follow  so  excellent  an  example, 
while  they  scarcely  spoke  above  a  whisper,  wondering  what 
could  be  the  matter  with  their  grandmama,  and  wishing  for 
once,  to  see  Mrs,  Crabtree  again,  that  they  might  hear  how 
she  was.  Any  one  who  had  observed  Harry  and  Laura  at 
that  time,  would  have  wondered  to  see  two  such  quiet,  ex- 
cellent, respectable  children,  and  wished  that  all  little  boys 
and  girls  were  made  upon  the  same  pattern ;  but  presently 
they  began  to  think  that  probably  Lady  Harriet  was  not  so 
very  ill,  as  no  more  bells  had  rung  during  several  minutes, 
and  Harry  ventured  to  look  about  for  some  better  amuse- 
ment than  sitting  still. 

At  this  moment  liaura  unluckily  perceived  on  the  table 
near  where  they  sat,  a  pair  of  Mrs.  Crabtree's  best  scissors, 
which  she  had  been  positively  forbid  to  touch.  The  long 
troublesome  ringlets  were  as  usual  hanging  over  her  eyes 
in  a  most  teazing  manner,  so  she  thought  what  a  good  op- 
portunity this  might  be  to  shorten  them  a  very  little,  not 
above  an  inch  or  two  ;  and  without  considering  a  moment 
longer,  she  slipped  upon  tiptoe,  with  a  frightened  look, 
round  the  table,  and  picked  up  the  scissors  in  her  hand,  then 
hastening  towards  a  looking-glass,  she  began  snipping  off 
the  ends  of  her  hair.     Laura  was  much  diverted  to  see  it 


36  THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE. 

ehowering  down  upon  the  floor,  so  she  cut  and  cut  on,  while 
the  curls  fell  thicker  and  taster,  till  at  last  the  whole  floor 
was  covered  with  them,  and  scarcely  a  hair  left  ui)on  her 
head.  Harry  went  into  tits  of  laughing  when  he  perceived 
what  a  ridiculous  figure  Laura  had  made  of  herself,  and  he 
turned  her  round  and  round  to  seethe  havoc  she  had  made, 
saying, 

"  You  should  give  all  this  hair  to  Mr.  3Iills  the  uphol- 
sterer, to  stutTgrandmama's  arm-chair  with  !  At  any  rate, 
Laura,  if  Mrs.  Crabtrce  is  ever  so  angry,  she  can  hardly 
pull  you  by  the  hair  of  the  head  again  !  What  a  sound  sleep 
you  will  have  to-night,  with  no  hard  curl-papers  to  torment 
you  !" 

Harry  had  been. told  five  hundred  times,  never  to  touch 
the  candles,  and  threatened  with  twenty  diflcrcnt  punish- 
ments, if  he  ever  ventured  to  do  so ;  but  now,  he  amused 
himself  with  trying  to  snutfone  tillhesnutlld  it  out.  Then 
he  lighted  it  again,  and  tried  the  experiment  once  more, 
but  again  the  teazing  candle  went  out,  as  if  on  purpose  to 
plague  him,  so  he  felt  (piite  provoked.  Having  lighted  it 
once  more,  Harry  prepared  to  cany  the  candlestick  with 
him  towards  the  inner  nursery,  th(jugh  afraid  to  make  the 
smallest  noise,  in  case  it  might  be  taken  from  him.  Be- 
fore he  had  gone  five  steps,  down  dropped  the  extinguisher, 
then  followed  the  snutfers  with  a  great  crash,  but  Laura 
seemed  too  busy  cropping  her  ringlets,  to  notice  what  was 
going  on.  All  the  way  along  upon  the  floor,  Harry  let  fall 
a  perfect  shower  of  hot  wax,  which  spotted  the  nursery  car- 
pet from  the  table  wjicre  he  had  found  the  candle  into  the 
next  room,  where  he  disii|)pr'ared,  and  shut  the  door,  that  no 
one  might  interfere  with  what  he  liked  to  do. 

After  he  had  been  al)sent  some  time,  the  door  was  hastily 
opened  again,  and  Laura  felt  surprised  to  see  Harry  come 
back  with  his  face  as  red  as  a  stick  of  sealing-wax,  and  hia 


THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE.  37 

large  eyes  staring  wider  than  they  had  ever  stared  before, 
with  a  look  of  rueful  consternation. 

"  What  is  the  matter  !"  exclaimed  Laura  in  a  terrified 
voice.  "  Has  anything  dreadful  happened  1  Why  do  you 
look  so  frightened  and  so  surprised?" 

"Oh  dear!  oh  dear!  what  shall  I  do?"  cried  Harry, 
who  seemed  scarcely  to  know  how  he  spoke,  or  where  he 
was.     "  I  don't  know  what  to  do,  Laura !" 

"  What  can  be  the  matter !  do  tell  me  at  once,  Harry," 
said  Laura,  shaking  with  apprehension.  "  Speak  as  fast  as 
you  can  !" 

"  Will  you  not  tell  Mrs.  Crabtree,  nor  grandmama,  nor 
anybody  else  ?"  cried  Harry,  bursting  into  tears.  "  I  am 
so  very,  very  sorry,  and  so  frightened  !  Laura !  do  you 
know,  I  took  a  candle  into  the  next  room,  merely  to  play 
with  it." 

"  Well !  go  on,  Harry  !  go  on !  what  did  you  do  with  the 
candle?" 

"  I  only  put  it  on  the  bed  for  a  single  minute,  to  see  how 
the  flame  would  look  there, — well !  do  you  know  it  blazed 
away  famously,  and  then  all  the  bed  clothes  began  burning 
too  !  Oh  !  there  is  such  a  terrible  fire  in  the  next  room  ! 
you  never  saw  anything  like  it !  what  shall  we  do  ?  If  old 
Andrew  were  to  come  up,  do  you  think  he  could  put  it  out? 
I  have  shut  the  door  that  Mrs.  Crabtree  may  not  see  the 
flames.     Be  sure,  Laura,  to  tell  nobody  but  Andrew." 

Laura  became  terrified  at  the  way  she  saw  poor  Harry  in, 
but  when  she  opened  the  door  to  find  out  the  real  state  of 
affairs,  oh  !  what  a  dreadful  sight  Was  there  !  all  the  beds 
were  on  fire,  while  bright  red  flames  were  blazing  up  to  the 
roof  of  the  room,  with  a  fierce  roaring  noise,  which  it  was 
perfectly  frightful  to  hear.  She  screamed  aloud  with  terror 
at  this  alarming  scene,  while  Harry  did  all  he  could  to  quiet 
her,  and  even  put  his  hand  over  her  mouth,  that  her  cries 
might  not  be  heard.     Laura  now  struggled  to  get  loose,  and 

D 


38  THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE. 

called  louder  and  louder,  till  at  last  every  maid  in  the  house 
came  racing  up  stairs,  three  steps  at  a  time,  to  know  what 
was  the  matter.  Immediately  upon  seein<j;  the  flames,  they 
all  began  screaming  too,  in  such  a  loud  discordant  way, 
that  it  sounded  as  if  a  whole  flight  of  crows  had  come  into 
the  passages.  Never  was  there  such  an  uproar  heard  in  the 
house  before,  for  the  walls  echoed  with  a  general  cry  of 
"Fire!  fire!  fire!" 

Up  flew  Mrs.  Crabtree  towards  the  nursery  like  a  sky- 
rocket, scolding  furiously,  talking  louder  than  all  the  others 
put  together,  and  asking  who  had  set  the  house  on  fire, 
while  Harry  and  Laura  scarcely  knew  whether  to  be  most 
frightened  for  the  raging  flames,  or  the  raging  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree  ;  but,  in  the  meantime,  they  both  shrunk  into  the 
smallest  possible  size,  and  hid  themselves  behind  a  door. 

During  all  this  confusion,  Old  Andrew  luckily  remem- 
bered, that,  in  the  morning,  there  had  been  a  great  washing 
in  the  laundry,  where  large  tubs  full  of  water  were  standing,  so 
he  called  to  the  few  maids  who  had  any  of  their  senses  re- 
maining, desiring  them  to  assist  in  carrying  up  some 
buckets,  that  they  might  be  emptied  on  the  burning  beds,  to 
extinguish  the  flames  if  possible.  Every  body  was  now  in 
a  hurry,  and  all  elbowing  each  other  out  of  the  way,  while 
it  was  most  extraordinary  to  sec  how  old  Andrew  exerted 
himself,  as  if  he  had  been  a  fireman  all  his  life,  while  Mrs. 
Marmalade,  the  fat  cook,  who  could  hardly  carry  herself  up 
stairs  in  general,  actively  assisted  to  bring  up  the  great 
heavy  tubs,  and  to  pour  them  out  like  a  cascade  upon  the 
burning  curtains,  till  the  nursery-floor  looked  like  a  duck 
poiul. 

Meant ime  Ifarry  and  Laura  added  to  the  confusion  as 
mufh  as  thfy  could,  and  wrre  busier  than  anybody,  stealing 
down  the  l)aek-stairs  whenever  Mrs.  Crai)tree  was  not  in 
eight,  and  filling  their  little  jugs  with  water,  which  they 
brought  up,  as  fast  as  possible,  and  da.shcd  upon  the  flames, 


THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE.  39 

till  at  last,  it  is  to  be  feared,  they  began  to  feel  quite  amused 
with  the  bustle,  and  to  be  almost  sorry  when  the  conflagra- 
tion diminished.  At  one  time,  Laura  very  nearly  set  her 
own  frock  on  fire,  as  she  ventured  too  near,  but  Harry 
pulled  her  back,  and  then  courageously  advanced  to  dis- 
charge a  shower  from  his  own  little  jug,  remaining  stationary 
to  watch  the  effect,  till  his  face  was  almost  scorched. 

At  last  the  fire  became  less  and  less,  till  it  went  totally  out, 
but  not  before  the  nursery  furniture  had  been  reduced  to  per- 
fect ruins,  besides  which,  Betty  had  her  arm  sadly  burned  in 
the  confusion.  Mrs.  Marmalade's  cap  was  completely  de- 
stroyed, and  Mrs.  Crabtree's  best  gown  had  so  large  a  hole 
burned  in  the  skirt,  that  she  never  could  wear  it  again  ! 

After  all  was  quiet,  and  the  fire  completely  extinguished, 
Major  Graham  took  Laura  down  stairs  to  Lady  Harriet's 
dressing-room,  that  she  might  tell  the  whole  particulars  of 
how  this  alarming  accident  happened  in  the  nursery,  for 
nobody  could  guess  what  had  caused  so  sudden  and  dread- 
ful a  fire,  which  seemed  to  have  been  as  unexpected  as  a 
flash  of  lightning. 

Lady  Harriet  had  felt  so  terrified  by  the  noise  and  con- 
fusion, that  she  was  out  of  bed,  sitting  up  in  an  arm- 
chair, supported  by  pillows,  when  Laura  entered,  at  the  sight 
of  whom,  with  her  well-cropped  head,  she  made  an  excla- 
mation of  perfect  amazement. 

"  Why  !  who  on  earth  is  that !  Laura  !  my  dear  child  ! 
what  has  become  of  all  your  hair?  Were  your  curls 
burned  off  in  the  fire  1  or  did  the  fright  make  you  grow 
bald  1     What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?" 

Laura  turned  perfectly  crimson  with  shame  and  distress, 
for  she  now  felt  convinced  of  her  own  great  misconduct 
about  the  scissors  and  curls,  but  she  had  been  taught  on  all 
occasions  to  speak  the  truth,  and  would  rather  have  died 
than  told  a  lie,  or  even  allowed  any  person  to  believe  what 
was   not  true,  therefore  she  answered  in  a  low,  frightened 


40  THE    TERRIBLE    FIRB. 

voice,  while  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes,  "My  hair  ha8 
not  been  burned  off",  graniiniama  I  but — but — " 

"  Well,  child  !  speak  out !"  said  Lady  Harriet,  impatient- 
ly, "did  some  hair-dresser  come  to  the  house  and  rob  you?" 

"  Or  are  you  like  the  ladies  of  Carthage  who  gave  their 
long  hair  for  bows  and  arrows?"  asked  Major  tJraham. 
"  I  never  saw  such  a  little  fright  in  my  liie  as  you  look 
now  ;  but  tell  us  all  about  it  ?" 

"  I  have  been  quite  as  naughty  as  Harry  !"  answered 
Laura,  bursting  into  tears  and  sobbing  with  grief;  "  I  was 
cutting  off  my  hair  with  Mrs.  Crabtree's  scissors  all  the 
time  that  he  was  setting  the  nursery  on  fire  !" 

"  Did  any  mortal  ever  hear  of  two  such  little  torments  !" 
exclaimed  Major  Graham,  hardly  able  to  help  laughing.  "  I 
wonder  if  anybody  else  in  the  world  has  such  mischievous 
children  !" 

"  It  is  certainly  very  strange,  that  you  and  Harry  never 
can  contrive  to  be  three  hours  out  of  a  scrape !"  said  Lady 
Harriet  gravely ;  "  now  Frank,  on  the  contrary,  never  for- 
gets what  I  bid  him  do.  You  might  suppose  he  carried 
Mrs.  Crabtree  in  his  pocket,  to  remind  him  constantly  of 
his  duty  ;  but  there  are  not  two  such  boys  in  the  world  as 
P'rank  !" 

"No,"  added  Major  Graham  ;  "Harry  set  the  house  on 
fire,  and  Frank  will  set  the  Thames  on  fire !" 

When  Laura  saw  uncle  David  put  on  one  of  his  funny 
looks,  while  he  spoke  in  this  way  to  Lady  Harriet,  she  al- 
most forgot  her  former  fright,  and  became  surprised  to 
observe  her  grandmania  busy  pro])aring  what  she  called  a 
coach-whcol,  which  had  been  ol\eii  given,  as  a  treat  to  Harry 
and  herself  wlieii  thoy  were  j)articularly  good.  This  de- 
Hghtful  wheel  was  manufactured  by  taking  a  whole  round 
.«*lice  of  the  loaf,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  placed  a  largo 
tea-spoonful  of  jelly,  after  which  long  spokes  of  marmalade, 
jam,  and  honey,  were  made  to  diverge  most  tastefully  in 


THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE.  41 

every  direction  towards  the  crust,  and  Laura  watched  the 
progress  of  this  business  with  great  interest  and  anxiety, 
wondering  if  it  could  be  hoped  that  her  grandmama  really 
meant  to  forgive  all  her  misconduct  during  the  day. 

"  That  coach-wheel  is,  of  course,  meant  for  me !"  said 
Major  Graham,  pretending  to  be  very  hungry,  and  looking 
slyly  at  Laura  ;  "  It  cannot  possibly  be  intended  for  our 
little  hair-dresser  here !" 

« Yes,  it  is !"  answered  Lady  Harriet,  smiling.  "  I 
have  some  thoughts  of  excusing  Laura  this  time,  because 
she  always  tells  me  the  truth,  without  attempting  to  conceal 
any  foolish  thing  she  does.  It  will  be  very  long  before  she 
has  any  hair  to  cut  off  again,  so  I  hope  she  may  be  older 
and  wiser  by  that  time,  especially  considering  that  every 
looking-glass  she  sees  for  six  months  will  make  her  feel 
ashamed  of  herself.  She  certainly  deserves  some  reward 
for  having  prevented  the  house  to-night  from  being  burned 
to  the  ground." 

"I  am  glad  you  think  so,  because  here  is  a  shilling  that 
has  been  burning  in  my  pocket  for  the  last  few  minutes,  as 
I  wished  to  bestow  it  on  Laura  for  having  saved  all  our 
lives,  and  if  she  had  behaved  still  better,  I  might  perhaps 
have  given  her  a  gold  watch!" 

Laura  was  busily  employed  in  eating  her  coach-wheel, 
and  trying  to  fancy  what  the  gold  watch  would  have  looked 
like  which  she  might  probably  have  got  from  uncle  David, 
when  suddenly  the  door  burst  open,  and  Mrs.  Crabtree  hur- 
ried into  the  room,  with  a  look  of  surprise  and  alarm,  her 
face  as  red  as  a  poppy,  and  her  eye  fixed  on  the  hole  in  her 
best  gown,  while  she  spoke  so  loud  and  angrily,  that  Laura 
almost  trembled. 

"  If  you  please,  my  lady  !  where  can  Master  Harry  be  ? 
I  cannot  find  him  in  any  corner ! — we  have  been  searching 
all  over  the  house,  up  stairs  and  down  stairs,  in  vain.     Not 

d2 


42  THE    TERRini.E    FIRE. 

a  garret  or  a  c)osct  but  has  been  ransacked,  and  nobody  can 
guess  what  has  become  of  him  !" 

"  Did  you  look  up  the  chimney,  Mrs.  Crabtrec  ?"  asked 
Major  Graham,  laughing  to  see  how  excited  she  looked. 

"  Indeed,  Sir  !  it  is  no  joke,"  answered  Mrs.  Crabtree, 
sulkily  ;  "I  am  almost  afraid  Master  Harry  has  been  burn- 
ed in  the  fire!  The  last  time  Betty  saw  him,  he  was  throw- 
ing a  jug  of  water  into  the  flames,  and  no  one  has  ever  seen 
or  heard  of  him  since  !  There  is  a  great  many  ashes  and 
cinders  lying  about  the  room,  and 

"  Do  you  think,  in  sober  seriousness,  Mrs.  Crabtree,  that 
Harry  would  melt  away  like  a  wax  doll,  without  asking  any 
body  to  extinguish  him?"  said  Major  Graham,  smiling. 
"No!  no!  little  boys  are  not  quite  so  easify  disposed  of. 
I  shall  find  Harry  in  less  than  five  minutes,  if  he  is  above 
ground." 

But  uncle  David  was  quite  mistaken  in  expecting  to  dis- 
cover Harry  so  easily,  for  he  searched  and  seaichcd  in  vain. 
He  looked  into  every  possible  or  impossible  place — the  li- 
brary, the  kitchen,  the  garrets,  the  laundry,  the  drawing- 
room,  all  without  success, — he  peeped  under  the  tables,  be- 
hind the  cuilains,  over  the  beds,  beneath  the  pillows,  and 
into  Mrs.  Crabtree's  bonnet-box, — he  even  opened  the  tea- 
chest,  and  looked  out  at  the  \\indow,  in  case  Harry  had 
tumbled  over,  but  nowhere  could  he  be  found. 

"Not  a  mouse  is  stirring!"  exclaimed  Major  Graham, 
beginning  now  to  look  exceedingly  grave  and  anxious. 
"  This  is  very  strange  !  The  house-door  is  locked,  there- 
fore, unless  Harry  made  his  escape  through  the  key-hole, 
he  must  be  here  !  It  is  most  unaccountable  what  the  little 
pickle  ran  have  done  with  himself!" 

When  Major  Graham  chose  to  exert  his  voice,  it  wa.s  as 
loud  as  a  trumpet,  and  could  be  heard  half  a  mile  off;  so  he 
now  caHedout,  like  thunder,  from  the  top  of  the  stairs  to  the 


THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE.  43 

bottom,  saying,  "  Hollo,  Harry !  hollo  I      Come  here,  my 
boy  !     Nobody  shall  hurt  you  !     Harry  !  where  are  you !" 

Uncle  David  waited  to  listen,  but  all  was  still, — no  an- 
swer could  be  heard,  and  there  was  not  a  sound  in  the 
house,  except  poor  Laura  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  sob- 
bing with  grief  and  terror  about  Harry  having  been  lost,  and 
Mrs.  Crabtrce  grumbling  angrily  to  herself,  on  account  of 
the  large  hole  in  her  best  gown. 

By  this  time  Lady  Harriet  nearly  fainted  with  fatigue, 
for  she  was  so  very  old,  and  had  been  ill  all  day  ;  so  she 
grew  worse  and  worse,  till  everybody  said  she  must  go  to 
bed,  and  try  if  it  would  be  possible  to  fall  asleep,  assuring 
her  that  Harry  must  soon  be  found,  as  nothing  particular 
could  have  hai)pened  to  him,  or  some  person  would  have 
seen  it. 

"  Lideed,  my  lady  !  Master  Harry  is  just  like  a  bad  shil- 
ling that  is  sure  to  come  back,"  said  Mrs.  Crabtree,  help- 
ing her  to  undress,  while  she  continued  to  talk  the  whole 
time  about  the  fire,  showing  her  own  unfortunate  gown,  de- 
scribing the  trouble  she  had  taken  to  save  the  house  from 
being  burned,  and  always  ending  every  sentence  with  a 
wish  that  she  could  lay  her  hands  on  Harry  to  punish  him  as 
he  deserved. 

"  The  truth  is,  I  just  spoil  and  indulge  the  children  too 
much,  my  lady  !"  added  Mrs.  Crabtree,  in  a  self-satisfied 
tone  of  voice.  "I  really  blame  myself  often  for  being 
over  easy  and  kind." 

"You  have  nothing  to  accuse  yourself  of  in  that  respect," 
answered  Lady  Harriet,  unable  to  help  smiling. 

"  Your  ladyship  is  very  good  to  say  so.  Major  Graham 
is  so  fond  of  our  young  people,  that  it  is  lucky  they  have 
some  one  to  keep  them  in  order.  I  shall  make  a  duty,  my 
lady,  of  being  more  strict  than  ever.  Master  Harry  must 
be  made  an  example  of  this  time  !"  added  Mrs.  Crabtree, 
angrily  glancing  at  the  hole  in  her  gown.     "  I  shall  teach 


44  THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE. 

him    to   remember   this  day   the  longest  hour  he  has  to 
live  !" 

<'  Harry  will  not  forget  it  any  how,"  answered  J^ady 
Harriet  languidly.  ''  Perhaps,  Mrs.  Crabtree,  we  might  as 
well  not  be  severe  with  the  poor  boy  on  this  occasion.  As 
the  old  proverb  says,  '  there  is  no  use  in  pouring  water  on 
a  drowned  mouse.'  Harry  has  got  a  sad  fright  for  his 
pains,  and  at  all  events  you  must  find  him  first,  before  he 
can  be  punished.     Where  can  the  poor  child  be  hid  ?" 

<••  I  wovdd  give  sixpence  to  find  out  that,  iny  lady  !"  an- 
swered Mrs.  Crabtree,  helping  Lady  Harriet  into  bed,  af- 
ter which  she  closed  the  shutters,  put  out  the  candles,  and 
lell  the  room,  angrily  muttering,  "  Master  Harry  cares  no 
more  for  me  than  the  poker  cares  for  the  tongs,  but  I 
shall  teach  him  another  story  soon." 

Lady  Harriet  now  feebly  closed  her  eyes,  being  quite  ex- 
hausted, and  was  beginning  to  feel  the  pleasant,  confused 
sensation  that  people  have  before  going  to  sleep,  when 
some  noise  made  her  suddenly  start  quite  awake.  She  sat 
up  in  bed  to  listen,  but  could  not  be  sure  whether  it  had 
been  a  great  noise  at  a  distance,  or  a  little  noise  in  the 
room  ;  so  after  waiting  two  or  three  minutes,  she  sunk 
b.ick  upon  the  pillows,  and  tried  to  forget  it.  Again,  how- 
ever, she  distinctly  hcaid  something  rustling  in  the  bed 
curtains,  and  opened  her  eyes  to  sec  what  could  be  the  mat- 
ter, but  all  was  dark.  Something  seemed  to  be  breathing 
very  near  her,  however,  and  the  curtains  shook  worse  than 
before,  till  Lady  Harriet  became  really  alarmed. 

"  It  must  surely  be  a  cat  in  the  room  !"  thought  she, 
ha-<tily  p\illing  the  bell  rope,  till  it  nearly  came  down. 
"That  tiresome  little  animal  will  make  such  a  noise,  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  sleep  all  night!" 

The  next  minute  Lady  Harriet  was  startled  to  hear  a 
loud  sob  close  beside  her  ;  and  when  everybody  rushed  up 
btairs  to  ask  what  wa.s  the  matter,  they   brought   candles  to 


THE    TERRIBLE    FIRE.  45 

search  the  room,  and  there  was  Harry  !  He  lay  doubled  up 
iu  a  corner,  and  crying  as  if  his  heart  would  break,  yet  still 
endeavouring  not  to  be  seen;  for  Harry  always  thought  it  a  ter- 
rible disgrace  to  cry,  and  would  have  concealed  himself  any- 
where, rather  than  be  observed  weeping.  Laura  burst  into 
tears  also,  when  she  saw  what  red  eyes  and  pale  cheeks 
Harry  had  ;  but  Mrs.  Crabtree  lost  no  time  in  pulling  him 
out  of  his  place,  being  quite  impatient  to  begin  her  scold,  and 
to  produce  her  tawse,  though  she  received  a  sad  disappoint- 
ment on  this  occasion,  as  uuele  David  unexpectedly  inter- 
fered to  get  him  off. 

"  Come  now,  Mrs.  Crabtree,"*  said  he  good-naturedly ; 
"  put  up  the  tawse  for  this  time  ;  you  are  rather  too  fond  of 
the  leather.  Harry  seems  really  sorry  and  frightened,  so  we 
must  be  merciful.  That  cataract  of  tears  he  is  shedding 
now,  would  have  extinguished  the  fire  if  it  had  come  in 
time!  HaiTy  is  like  a  culprit  with  the  rope  about  his  neck  ; 
but  he  shall  not  be  executed.  Let  me  be  judge  and  jury  in 
this  case  ;  and  my  sentence  is  a  very  dreadful  one.  Plarry 
must  sleep  all  to-night  in  the  burned  nursery,  having  no 
other  covering  than  the  burned  blankets,  with  large  holes 
in  them,  that  he  may  never  forget 

<'  THE    TERRIBLE   FIRE  I'* 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  PRODIGIOUS  CAKE. 

Yet  theirs  the  joy 
That  lifts  their  steps,  that  sparkles  in  their  eyes  ; 
That  talks  or  laughs,  or  runs,  or  shouts,  or  plays, 
And  speaks  in  all  their  looks,  and  all  their  ways. 

Crabbe. 

Next  day  after  the  fire,  Laura  could  think  of  nothing  but 
what  she  was  to  do  with  the  shilling  that  uncle  David  had 
given  her  ;  and  a  thou-sand  plans  came  into  her  head,  while 
many  wants  entered  her  thoughts,  which  never  occurred  bo- 
fore  ;  so  that  if  twenty  shilliuir.s  had  been  in  her  hand  in- 
stead of  one,  they  would  all  have  gone  twenty  ditltrent  ways. 

Lady  Harriet  advised  that  it  should  be  laid  bye  till  Laura 
had  fully  considered  what  she  would  like  best;  reminding 
her  very  truly,  that  money  is  lame  in  coming,  but  flics  in  go- 
ing away.  "Many  people  can  get  a  shilling,  Laura,"  said 
her  grandmama;  "but  the  dilTiculty  is  to  keej)  it;  for  you 
know  the  old  proved)  tells  that  'a  fool  and  his  money  are 
soon  parted.' " 

»'Ye.-<,  Miss!  so  give  it  to  me,  and  I  shall  lake  care  of 
your  shilling  !"  added  Mrs.  Crabtree,  holding  out  her  hand 
to  Laura,  who  felt  that  if  her  money  once  disappeared  into 
that  capacious  pocket,  she  would  never  .see  it  again.  "Chil- 
dren have  no  u.sc  for  money!  that  shilling  will  only  burn  a 
hole  in  your  purse,  till   it  is  .«pent  on  sonic  foolish  thing  or 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  47 

Other.  You  will  be  losing  your  thimble  soon,  or  mislaying 
your  gloves  ;  tor  all  these  things  seem  to  fly  in  every  direc- 
tion, as  if  they  got  legs  and  wings  as  soon  as  they  belong 
to  you  ;  so  then  that  shilling  may  replace  what  is  lost." 

Mrs.  Crabtree  looked  as  if  she  would  eat  it  up  ;  but  Lau- 
ra grasped  her  treasure  still  tighter  in  her  hand,  exclaiming, 

"  No  !  no  !  this  is  mine  !  Uncle  David  never  thought 
of  my  shilling  being  taken  care  of!  He  meant  me  to  do 
whatever  1  liked  with  it !  Uncle  David  says  he  cannot  en- 
dure saving  children,  and  that  he  wishes  all  money  Avere 
turned  into  slates,  when  little  girls  keep  it  longer  than  a 
week." 

"  I  like  that !"  said  Harry,  eagerly ;  "  it  is  so  pleasant 
to  spend  money,  when  the  shopkeeper  bows  to  me  over  the 
counter  so  politely,  and  asks  what  I  please  to  want." 

"  Older  people  than  you  like  spending  money.  Master 
Harry,  and  spend  whether  they  have  it  or  no  ;  but  the  great- 
est pleasure  is  to  keep  it.  For  instance,  Miss  Laura,  what- 
ever she  sees  worth  a  shilling  in  any  shop,  might  be  hers 
if  she  pleases  ;  so  then  it  is  quite  as  good  as  her  own. 
We  shall  look  in  at  the  bazaar  every  morning,  to  fix  upon 
something  that  she  would  like  to  have,  and  then  consider  of 
it  for  two  or  three  days." 

Laura  thought  this  plan  so  very  unsatisfactory,  that  she 
lost  no  time  in  getting  her  shilling  changed  into  two  six- 
pences, one  of  which  she  immediately  presented  to  Harry, 
who  positively  refused  for  a  long  time  to  accept  of  it,  insist- 
ing that  I>aura  should  rather  buy  some  pretty  plaything  for 
herself;  but  she  answered  that  it  was  much  pleasanter  to  di- 
vide her  fortune  with  Harry,  than  to  be  selfish,  and  spend  it 
all  alone.  "  I  am  sure,  Harry,"  added  she,  "  if  this  money 
had  been  yours,  you  would  have  said  the  same  thing,  and 
given  the  half  of  what  you  got  to  me  ;  so  now  let  us  say  no 
more  about  that,  but  tell  me  what  would  be  the  best  use  to 
make  of  my  sixpence?' 


48  THE    TROUIGIOUS    CAKE. 

"You  might  buy  that  fine  red  morocco  purse  wc  saw  in 
tlie  shop  window  yesterday,"  observed  Harry,  looking  very 
serious  and  anxious,  on  being  consulted.  "  Do  you  remem- 
ber how  much  we  both  wished  to  have  it?" 

«  But  what  is  the  use  of  a  purse,  with  no  money  to  keep 
in  it !"  answered  Laura,  looking  earnestly  at  Harry  for  more 
advice.     "  Think  again  of  something  else." 
"  Would  you  like  a  new  doll  ?" 
"  Yes  ;  but  I  have  nothing  to  dress  her  with  !" 
"  Suppose  you  buy  that  pretty  geranium  in  a  red  flower- 
pot at  the  gardener's !" 

"  If  it  would  only  live  for  a  week,  I  might  be  tempted  to 
try  ;  but  flowers  will  always  die  with  me.  They  seem  to 
wither  when  I  so  much  as  look  at  them.  Do  you  remember 
that  pretty  fuschia  that  T  almost  drowned  the  first  day  grand- 
mama  gave  it  me  ;  and  we  forgot  for  a  week  afterwards  to 
water  it  at  all.     I  am  not  a  good  flower  doctor." 

"  Then  buy  a  gold  watch  at  once,"  said  Harry,  laughing ; 
i'  or  a  fine  pony,  with  a  saddle,  to  ride  on." 

"Now,  Harry,  pray  be  quite  in  earnest.  You  know  I 
might  as  well  attempt  to  buy  the  moon  as  a  gold  watch ;  so 
think  of  something  else." 

"  It  is  very  diilicult  to  make  a  good  use  of  moncyj"  said 
Harry,  pretending  to  look  exceedingly  wise.  "Do  you 
know,  Laura,  I  once  found  out  that  you  could  have  twelve 
of  lliose  large  ship  biscuits  we  saw  at  the  baker's  shop  for 
sixpence.  Only  think  !  you  could  feed  the  whole  town,  and 
make  a  present  to  everybody  in  the  house  besi(l(>s  !  I  dare 
.say  Mrs.  Crabtree  might  like  one  with  her  tea.  All  tlie 
maids  would  think  them  a  treat.  You  could  present  one  to 
Frank,  another  to  old  Andrew,  and  there  would  still  be  some 
left  for  these  poor  children  at  the  cottage." 

"  Oh!  that  is  the  very  tljing!"  cried  Laura,  running  out 
of  the  room  to  send  Andrew  ofl"  with  a  basket,  and  looking 
as  happy  as   possible.     Not   long   afterwards,    Frank,    who 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  49 

had  returned  from  school,  was  standing  at  the  nursery  win- 
dow, when  he  suddenly  called  out  in  a  voice  of  surprise  and 
amazement, 

"  Come  here,  Harry  !  look  at  old  Andrew  !  he  is  carrying 
something  tied  up  in  a  towel,  as  large  as  his  own  head  ! 
what  can  it  be  ?" 

"  That  is  all  for  me  !  these  are  my  biscuits  !"  said  Laura, 
running  off  to  receive  the  parcel,  and  though  she  heard 
Frank  laughing,  while  Harry  told  all  about  them,  she  did  not 
care,  but  brought  her  whole  collection  triumphantly  into  the 
nursery. 

"Oh  fancy!  how  perfect!"  cried  Harry,  opening  the 
bundle;  "this  is  very  good  fun  !" 

"  Here  are  provisions  for  a  siege  !"  added  Frank.  "  You 
have  at  least  got  enough  for  your  money,  Laura !" 

"  Take  one  yourself,  Frank  !"  said  she,  reaching  him 
the  largest,  and  then,  with  the  rest  all  tied  in  her  apron, 
Laura  proceeded  up  and  down  stairs,  making  presents  to 
every  person  she  met,  till  her  whole  store  was  finished ;  and 
she  felt  quite  satisfied  and  happy  because  everybody  seemed 
pleased  and  returned  many  thanks,  except  Mrs.  Crabtree, 
M'ho  said  she  had  no  teeth  to  eat  such  hard  things,  which 
were  only  fit  for  sailors  going  to  America  or  the  West 
Indies. 

"  1  ou  should  have  bought  me  a  pound  of  sugar,  Miss 
Laura,  and  that  might  have  been  a  present  worth  giving." 

"  You  are  too  sweet  already,  Mrs.  Crabtree  !"  said  Frank, 
laughing.  "  I  shall  send  you  a  sugar-cane  from  the  West 
Indies,  to  beat  Harry  and  Laura  with,  and  a  whole  barrel  of 
sugar  for  yourself,  from  my  own  estate." 

"  None  of  your  nonsense.  Master  Frank  !  Get  out  of  the 
nursery  this  moment !  You  with  an  estate  indeed  !  You  will 
not  have  a  place  to  put  your  foot  upon  soon  except  the  top- 
mast in  a  man-of-war,  where  all  the  bad  boys  in  a  ship  are 
sent." 

E 


60  THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE. 

"  Perhaps,  as  you  are  not  to  be  the  captain,  I  may  escape, 
aud  be  diniiifr  witli  tlic  officers  somctiines  !  I  mean  to  send 
you  home  a  line  new  India  shawl,  Mrs.  Crabtrce,  the  very 
moment  I  arrive  at  Madras,  and  some  china  tea-cups  from 
Canton." 

"Fiddlesticks  and  nonsense!"  said  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who 
sometimes  enjoyed  a  little  jesting  with  Frank.  '"  Keep  all 
tliem  rattle-traps  till  you  are  a  rich  nabob,  and  come  home 
to  look  for  Mrs.  Frank, — a  fine  wife  she  will  be !  Ladies 
that  jret  fortunes  from  India  are  covered  all  over  with  gold 
chains,  and  gold  muslins,  and  scarlet  shawls.  She  will  eat 
noticing  but  curry  and  rice,  and  never  put  her  foot  to  the 
ground  except  to  step  into  her  carriage." 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  a  gipsey,  to  tell  fortunes  !"  cried 
Harry,  laughing ;  "  Frank  would  die  rather  than  take  such 
a  wile." 

"  Or,  at  least,  I  would  rather  have  a  tooth  drawn  than  do 
it,"  added  Frank,  smiling.  "  Perhaps  I  may  prefer  to  marry 
one  of  tliose  old  wives  on  tlie  chimney-tops ;  hut  it  is  too 
serious  to  say  I  would  rather  die,  because  nobody  knows 
how  awful  it  is  to  die,  till  tlie  appointed  day  comes." 

"  Very  true  and  proper,  Master  Frank,"  replied  Mrs. 
Crabtree;  "you  speak  like  a  printed  book  sometimes,  and 
you  deserve  a  good  wife." 

"  Then  I  shall  return  home  some  day  with  chests  of  gold, 
and  let  you  choose  one  for  me,  as  quiet  and  good-natured  as 
yourself,  Mrs.  Crabtree,"  said  Frank,  taking  up  his  books 
and  hastening  ofi*  to  school,  running  all  the  way,  as  he  was 
rather  late,  and  Mr.  Lexicon,  the  n)aster,  had  promised  a 
^rand  prize  for  the  boy  who  came  most  punctually  to  his 
lessons,  which  everybody  declared  that  Frank  was  sure  to 
gain,  as  he  had  never  once  been  absent  at  the  right  mo- 
meiiL" 

Major  Graham  often  tried  to  teaze  Frank,  by  calling  him 
"the  Professor,"- -asking  liirn  questions  which  it  was  im- 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  51 

possible  to  answer,  and  then  pretending  to  be  quite  shocked 
at  his  ignorance ;  but  no  one  ever  saw  the  young  scholar 
put  out  of  temper  by  those  tricks  and  trials,  for  he  always 
laughed  more  heartily  than  any  one  else,  at  the  joke. 

"Now  show  me,  Frank,"  said  uncle  David,  one  morning, 
*'  how  do  you  advance  three  steps  backwards  V 

"That  is  quite  impossible,    unless  you  turn  me  into  a 
crab." 

"  Tell  me,  then,  which  is  the  principal  town  in  CafFraria  ?" 
"  Is  there  any  town  there  ?     I  do  not  recollect  it." 
"  Then  so  much  the  worse  ! — how  are  you  ever  to  get 
through  life  without  knowing  the  chief  town  in  CafFraria  ! 
I  am  quite  ashamed  of  your  ignorance.     Now  let  us   try  a 
little  arithmetic  !     Open  the  door  of  your  understanding  and 
tell  me,  when  wheat  is  six  shillings  a  bushel,  what  is  the 
price  of  a  penny  loaf.     Take  your  slate  and  calculate  that." 
"  Yes,  uncle  David,  if  you  will  find  out,  when  gooseber- 
ries are  two  shillings  the  pint,  what  is  the  price  of  a  three- 
penny tart.     You  remind  me  of  my  old  nursery  song — 

'  The  man  in  the  wilderness  asked  me, 
How  many  strawberries  grew  in  the  sea  ; 
I  answered  him,  as  I  thought  it  good, 
As  many  red  herrings  as  grew  in  the  wood.'  " 

Some  days  after  Laura  had  distributed  the  biscuits,  she 
became  very  sorry  for  having  squandered  her  shilling,  with- 
out attending  to  Lady  Harriet's  good  advice,  about  keeping 
it  carefully  in  her  pocket  for  at  least  a  week,  to  see  what 
would  happen.  A  very  pleasant  way  of  using  money  now 
fell  in  her  way,  but  she  had  been  a  foolish  spendthrift,  so 
her  pockets  were  empty,  when  she  most  wished  them  to  be 
full.  Harry  came  that  morning  after  breakfast  into  the  nur- 
sery, looking  in  a  great  bustle,  and  whispering  to  Laura, 
*'  What  a  pity  your  sixpence  is  gone  !  but  as  Mrs.  Crabtree 
gays,  '  we  cannot  both  eat  our  cake  and  have  it !'  " 


52  THE  ruoniGioua  cake. 

"  Xo  !"  answered  Laura,  .is  seriously  as  if  she  had  never 
thought  of  this  before,  ''  but  why  do  you  so  particularly  wish 
my  money  back  to-day  ?" 

"•  Because  such  a  very  nice,  funny  thing  is  to  be  done 
this  morning.  You  and  I  are  asked  to  join  the  party,  but 
I  am  afraid  we  cannot  afford  it!  All  our  little  cousins  and 
companions  intend  going  with  Mr.  Harwood,  the  tutor,  at 
twelve  o'clock,  to  climb  up  to  the  very  top  of  Arthur's  Seat, 
where  they  are  to  dine  and  have  a  dance.  There  will  be 
about  twenty  boys  and  girls  of  the  party,  but  everybody  is  to 
carry  a  basket  filled  with  provisions  for  dinner,  either 
cakes,  or  fruit,  or  biscuits,  which  are  to  be  eat  on  the  great 
rock  at  the  top  of  the  hill.  Now  grandmama  says  we 
ought  to  have  had  money  enough  to  supply  what  is  necessa- 
ry, and  then  we  might  have  gone,  but  no  one  can  be  ad- 
mitted who  has  not  at  least  sixpence  to  buy  something." 

'•  Oh  !  how  provoking  !"  said  Laura,  sadly,  "  1  wonder 
when  we  shall  learn  always  to  follow  grandmama's  advice, 
for  that  is  sure  to  turn  out  best  in  the  end.  I  never  take 
my  own  way  without  being  sorry  for  it  afterwards,  so  I  de- 
serve now  to  be  disappointed  and  remain  at  home  ;  but, 
Harry,  your  sixpence  is  still  safe,  so  pray  join  this  delight- 
ful party,  and  tell  me  all  about  it  afterwards." 

"  If  it  could  take  us  both,  I  sho\dd  be  very  hapi)y,  but  I 
will  not  go  without  you,  I^aura,  after  you  were  so  good  to 
me,  and  gave  me  this  in  a  present.  No,  no  !  I  only  wish 
we  could  do  like  the  poor  madman  grandmama  mentioned, 
who  planted  si.\j>ences  in  the  ground  that  they  might  grow 
into  shillings." 

"  Pray  !  what  are  you  two  looking  so  solemn  about  ?"  asked 
Frank,  hiirrjing  inti)  the  room,  at  that  mr)ment,  on  his  way 
to  school.  "  Are  you  talking  of  some  mischief  that  has 
been  done  already,  or  only  about  some  mischief  you  are 
intending  to  do  soon  ?" 

"  Neither   the   one    nor   the   other,"    answered    liaura. 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  53 

"  But,  oh !  Frank,  I  am  sure  you  will  be  sorry  for  us,  when 
we  tell  you  of  our  sad  disappointment!" 

She  then  related  the  whole  story  of  the  party  to  Arthur's 
Seat,  mentioning  that  Mr.  Harwood  had  kindly  offered  to 
take  charge  of  Harry  and  herself,  but  as  her  little  fortune 
had  been  so  foolishly  squandered,  she  could  not  go,  and 
Harry  said  it  would  be  impossible  to  enjoy  the  fun  without 
her,  though  Lady  Harriet  had  given  them  both  leave  to  be 
of  the  party. 

All  the  time  that  Laura  spoke,  Frank  stood,  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  where  he  seemed  evidently  searching 
for  something,  and  when  the  whole  history  was  told,  he 
said  to  Harry,  "  Let  me  see  this  poor  little  sixpence  of 
yours  !  I  am  a  very  clever  conjuror,  and  could  perhaps 
turn  it  into  a  shilling  !" 

"  Nonsense,  Frank  !"  said  Laura,  laughing  ;  "  you 
might  as  well  turn  Harry  into  uncle  David  !" 

"  Well !  we  shall  see  !"  answered  Frank,  taking  up  the 
sixpence.  "  I  have  put  the  money  into  this  box  ! — rattle  it 
well ! — once !  twice  !  thrice ! — there,  peep  in  ! — now  it  is  a 
shilling  !     I  told  you  so  !" 

Frank  ran  joyously  out  of  the  room,  being  much  amused 
with  the  joke,  for  he  had  put  one  of  his  own  shillings  into 
the  box  for  Harry  and  Laura,  who  were  excessively  sur- 
prised at  first,  and  felt  really  ashamed  to  take  this  very  kind 
present  from  Frank,  when  he  so  seldom  had  money  of  his 
own ;  but  they  knew  how  generous  he  was,  for  he  often  re- 
peated that  excellent  maxim,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive." 

After  a  few  minutes,  they  remembered  that  nothing 
could  prevent  them  now  from  going  with  Mr.  Harwood  to 
Arthur's  Seat,  which  put  Laura  into  such  a  state  of  ecstacy, 
that  she  danced  round  the  room  for  joy,  while  Harry  jump- 
ed upon  the  tables  and  chairs,  tumbled  head  over  heels,  and 
called  Betty  to  come  immediately  that  they  might  get  ready. 

e2 


54  THE    I'RODIGiaUS    CAKE. 

When  Mr.s.  Crabtrcc  heard  surh  an  uproar,  she  hastened 
also  into  the  room,  asking  what  had  happened  to  cause  this 
riot,  and  she  became  very  angry  indeed,  to  hear  that  Harry 
and  Laura  had  both  got  leave  to  join  in  this  grand  expedi- 
tion. 

"  You  will  be  spoiling  all  your  clothes,  and  getting  your- 
selves into  a  heat !  I  wonder  her  ladyship  allows  this  ! 
IIow  much  better  you  would  be  taking  a  quiet  walk  w  ith  nie 
in  the  gardens  !  I  shall  really  speak  to  J^ady  Harriet  about 
it !  The  air  must  be  very  cold  on  the  top  of  them  great 
mountains  !  I  am  sure  you  will  both  have  colds  for  a 
month  after  this  Tom-foolery," 

"  Oh  no,  Mr.s.  Crabtreo!  I  promise  not  to  catch  cold  !" 
cried  Harry,  eagerly ;  "  and,  besides,  you  can  scarcely  pre- 
vent our  going  now,  for  grandmama  has  set  out  on  her 
long  airing  in  the  carriage,  so  there  is  nobody  for  you  to 
ask  about  keeping  us  at  home,  except  uncle  David!" 

Mrs.  Crabtree  knew  from  experience,  that  Major  Gra- 
ham was  a  hopeless  case,  as  he  always  took  part  with  the 
children,  and  liked  nothing  so  much  for  old  and  young  as 
"  a  ploy ;"  so  she  grumbled  on  to  herself,  while  her  eyea 
looked  as  sharp  as  a  pair  of  scissors  with  rage.  "  You  will 
come  back,  turned  into  scare-crows,  with  all  your  nice 
clean  clothes  in  tatters,"  said  she,  angrily;  ''but  if  there  is 
so  much  as  a  speck  upon  this  best  new  jacket  and  trowsers, 
I  shall  know  the  reason  why."  * 

"  What  a  comfort  it  woidd  be,  if  there  were  no  such 
things  in  the  world  as  '  new  clothes,'  for  I  am  always  so 
murh  hap])ier  in  the  old  ones,"  said  Harry.  *' People  at 
the  shops  should  sell  clothes  that  will  never  cither  dirty  or 
tear  !" 

"  You  ought  to  be  dressed  in  fur,  like  Robinson  Crusoe, 
or  sent  out  naked,  like  the  little  savages,"  said  Mrs.  Crab- 
trcc, "  or  painted  black  and  blue  like  thcnj  wild  old  Britons 
that  lived  here  long  ago  !" 


THE    PUODIGIOUS    CAKE.  55 

"  I  am  black  and  blue  sometimes,  without  being  paint- 
ed," said  Harry,  escaping  to  the  door.  "  Good-bye,  Mrs. 
Crabtree  !  I  hope  you  will  not  die  of  weariness  without 
us !  On  our  return  we  shall  tell  you  all  our  delightful  ad- 
ventures." 

About  half  an  hour  afterwards,  Harry  and  Laura  were 
seen  hurrying  out  of  the  pastry-cook,  Mrs.  Weddell's  shop, 
bearing  little  covered  baskets  in  their  hands,  but  nobody 
could  guess  what  was  in  them.  They  whispered  and 
laughed  together  with  very  merry  faces,  looking  the  very 
pictures  of  happiness,  and  running  along  as  fast  as  they 
could  to  join  the  noisy  party  of  their  cousins  and  compa- 
nions, almost  fearing  that  Mr.  Harwood  might  have  set  oft' 
without  them.  Frank  often  called  him  "  Mr.  Punctuality," 
as  he  was  so  very  particular  about  his  scholars  being  in 
good  time  on  all  occasions  ;  and  certainly  Mr.  Harwood 
carried  his  watch  more  in  his  hand  than  in  his  pocket, 
being  in  the  habit  of  constantly  looking  to  see  that  nobody 
arrived  too  late.  Mail-coaches  or  steamboats  could  hardly 
keep  the  time  better,  when  an  hour  had  once  been  named, 
-  and  the  last  words  that  Harry  heard  when  he  was  invited 
were,  "  Remember !  sharp  twelve." 

The  great  clock  of  St.  Andrew's  Church  was  busy  striking 
that  hour,  and  every  little  clock  in  the  town  was  saying  the 
same  thing,  when  Mr.  Harwood  himself,  with  his  watch  in 
his  hand,  opened  the  door,  and  walked  out,  followed  by  a 
dozen  of  merry-faced  boys  and  girls,  all  speaking  at  once, 
and  vociferating  louder  than  the  clocks,  as  if  they  thought 
everybody  had  grown  deaf. 

«  I  shall  reach  the  top  of  Arthur's  Seat  first,"  said  Peter 
Grey.  "  All  of  you  follow  me,  for  I  know  the  shortest  way. 
[t  is  only  a  hop,  step,  and  a  jump  !" 

"  Rather  a  long  step  !"  cried  Robert  Fordyce.  "  But  I 
could  lead  you  a  much  better  way,  though  I  shall  show  it  to 
nobody  but  myself." 


66  THE    rUODIGIOUS    CAKE. 

"  We  must  certainly  drink  water  at  St.  Antliony's  Well," 
observed  Laura  ;  "  because  whatever  any  one  wishes  for 
when  he  tastes  it,  is  sure  to  happen  immediately." 

"  Then  I  shall  wish  that  some  person  may  give  me  a  new 
doll,"  said  Mary  Forrester.  "  My  old  one  is  only  fit  tor 
being  lady's  maid  to  a  fine  new  doll." 

"  I  am  in  ninety-nine  minds  what  to  wish  for,"  exclaim- 
ed IlaiTy ;  "  we  must  take  care  not  to  be  like  the  foolish 
old  woman  in  the  fairytale,  who  got  only  a  yard  of  black 
pudding." 

"  I  shall  ask  for  a  piebald  pony,  with  a  whip,  a  saddle,  and 
a  bridle  !"  cried  Peter  Grey ;  "  and  for  a  week's  holidays, — 
and  a  new  watch, — and  a  spade, — and  a  box  of  French  plums, 
— and  to  be  first  at  the  top  of  Arthur's  Scat, — and — and — " 

"  Stop,  Peter ! — stop  !  you  can  only  have  one  wish  at  St. 
Anthony's  Well,"  interrupted  Mr.  Ilarwood.  <' If  you  ask 
more,  you  lose  all." 

"  That  is  very  hard,  tV)r  I  want  everj'thing,"  replied  Peter. 
"  WTiat  are  you  wishing  lor,  Sir?" 

"What  shall  I  ask  for?"  said  Ilr.  IIarw()o<l,  reflecting 
to  himself.     "I  have  not  a  want  in  the  world  ?" 

"  O  yes,  Sir  !  you  must  wish  for  something  !"  cried  the 
whole  party,  eagerly.  "  Do  invent  something  to  ask,  Mr. 
Ilarwood  !" 

"'  Then  I  wish  you  may  all  behave  well  till  wc  reach  tlie 
top  of  Arthur's  Seat,  and  all  come  safely  down  again." 

"  You  may  be  sure  of  that  already  !"  said  Peter,  laughing. 
"I  set  such  a  very  good  example  to  all  my  comjianions, 
that  they  never  behave  ill  when  I  am  present, — no !  not 
even  by  accident!  When  Dr.  AI;;rbra  examined  our  class 
to-day,  he  asked  Mr.  Lexicon,  'What  has  become  of  the 
best  boy  in  your  school  this  morning?'  and  the  answer 
was,  '  Of  course  your  mean  Peter  Grey  !  he  is  gone  to  the 
top  of  Arthur's  Seat  with  that  excellent  man,  Mr.  Ilar- 
wood!'" 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  67 

"  Indeed ! — and  pray,  Master  Peter,  what  bird  whispered 
this  story  into  your  ear,  seeing  it  has  all  happened  since  we 
left  home  ! — but  people  who  are  praised  by  nobody  else^  of- 
ten take  to  praising  themselves  !" 

"  Who  knows  better  ! — and  here  is  Harry  Graham,  the 
very  ditto  of  myself, — so  steady  he  might  be  fit  to  drill  a 
whole  regiment.  We  shall  lead  the  party  quite  safely  up  the 
hill,  and  down  again,  without  any  ladders." 

"And  without  wings,"  added  Harry,  laughing  ;  "but  what 
are  we  to  draw  water  out  of  t\ie  well  with  ?— here  are  neither 
buckets,  nor  tumblers,  nor  glasses  i" 

"  I  could  lend  you  my  thimble !"  said  Laura,  searching 
her  pocket.  "  That  will  hold  enough  of  water  for  one  wish, 
and  every  person  may  have  the  loan  of  it  in  turn." 

"  This  is  the  very  first  time  your  thimble  has  been  of  use 
to  anybody  !"  said  Harry,  slyly ;  "  but  I  dare  say  it  is  not 
worn  into  holes  with  too  much  sewing,  therefore  it  will  mak© 
a  famous  little  magical  cup  for  St.  Anthony's  Well.  You 
know  the  fairies  who  dance  here  by  moonlight,  lay  their  ta- 
ble-cloth upon  a  mushroom,  and  sit  round  it,  to  be  merry, 
but  I  never  heard  what  they  use  for  a  drinking  cup." 

Harry  now  proceeded  briskly  along  to  the  well,  singing 
as  he  went,  a  song  which  had  been  taught  him  by  undo 
David,  beginning, 

I  wish  I  were  a  brewer's  horse, 
Five  quarters  of  a  year, 
I'd  place  my  head  where  was  my  tai!, 
And  drink  up  all  the  beer. 

Before  long  the  whole  party  seated  themselves  in  a  circle 
on  the  grass  round  St.  Anthony's  Well,  while  any  stranger 
who  had  chanced  to  pass  might  have  supposed,  from  the 
noise  and  merriment,  that  the  Saint  had  filled  his  Avell  with 
champaigne  and  punch  for  the  occasion,  as  everybody  seem- 
ed perfectly  tipsy  with  happiness.    Mr.  Harwood  laughed  pro- 


68  THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE. 

digiously  at  some  of  the  jokes,  and  made  a  few  of  his  own, 
which  were  none  of  tlie  best,  though  they  caused  the  most 
laughter,  for  the  hoys  thought  it  very  sur[)rising  that  so  grave 
and  great  a  man  should  make  a  joke  at  all. 

"When  Mary  Forrester  drank  her  thimbleful  of  water,  and 
wi^ihed  for  a  new  doll,  Peter  and  Harry  privately  cut  out  a 
face  upon  a  red-cheeked  apple,  making  the  eyes,  nose,  and 
mouth,  after  which,  ihcy  hastily  dressed  it  up  in  pocket  hand- 
kerchiofs,  and  gave  her  this  present  from  the  fairies,  which 
looked  so  very  like  what  she  had  asked  for,  that  the  laugh 
which  followed  was  loud  and  long.  Afterwards  Peter  swal- 
lowed his  draught,  calling  loudly  for  a  piebald  pony,  when 
IlaiTy  in  his  white  trowsers,  and  dark  jacket,  went  upon  all- 
fours,  and  let  Peter  mount  on  his  back.  It  was  very  diffi- 
cult, however,  to  get  Peter  off  again,  for  he  enjoyed  the  fun 
excessively,  and  stuck  to  his  scat  like  Sinbad's  old  man  of 
the  sea,  till  at  hist  Harry  rolled  round  on  his  back,  tumbling 
Peter  head  over  heels  into  St.  Anthony's  Well,  upon  seeing 
which,  Mr.  Harwood  rose,  saying,  he  had  certainly  lost  his 
own  wish,  as  they  had  behaved  ill,  and  met  with  an  accident 
already.  Harry  laughingly  proposed  that  Peter  should  bo 
carefully  hung  upon  a  tree  to  dry,  till  they  all  came  down 
again  ;  but  the  mischievous  boy  ran  off  so  fast,  he  was  al- 
most out  of  sight  in  a  moment,  saying.  <'  Now  for  the  top 
of  Arthur's  Seat,  and  1  shall  grow  dry  with  the  fatigue  of 
climbing." 

The  boys  and  girls  immediately  scattered  themselves  all 
over  the  hill,  getting  on  the  best  way  they  could,  and  trying 
who  could  scramble  up  fastest,  but  the  grass  was  quite  short, 
and  as  slip|»ery  as  ice,  therefore  it  became  every  moment 
more  dililcult  to  stand,  and  still  more  difficult  to  climb.  The 
whole  party  began  sliding  whether  they  liked  it  or  not,  and 
staggered  and  tried  to  grasp  the  turf,  but  there  was  nothing 
to  hold,  while  occasionally  a  shower  of  .stones  and  gravel 
came  down  from  Peter,  who  pretended  they  fell  by  accident. 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  69 

"  Oh,  Harry  !"  cried  Laura,  panting  for  breath,  while  she 
looked  both  frightened  and  fatigued,  "  If  this  were  not  a  par- 
ty of  pleasure,  I  think  we  are  sometimes  quite  as  happy  in 
our  own  gardens !  People  must  be  very  miserable  at  home, 
before  they  come  here  to  be  amused  I  I  wish  we  were  cats, 
or  goats,  or  any  thing  that  can  stand  upon  a  hill  without  feel- 
ing giddy." 

"  I  think  this  is  very  good  fun  !"  answered  Harry,  "  gasp- 
ing and  trying  not  to  tumble  for  the  twentieth  time  ;  «  you 
would  like  perhaps  to  be  back  in  the  nursery  with  Mrs. 
Crabtree." 

"  No  !  no  !  I  am  not  quite  so  bad  as  that !  But  Harry  ! 
do  you  ever  really  expect  to  reach  the  top  ?  for  I  never  shall ; 
so  T  mean  to  sit  down  quietly  here,  and  wait  till  you  all 
return." 

"  I  have  a  better  plan  than  that,  Laura !  you  shall  sit  upon 
tlie  highest  point  of  Arthur's  Seat  as  well  as  anybody,  before 
either  of  us  is  an  hour  older  !  Let  me  go  first,  because  I  get 
on  famously,  and  you  must  never  look  behind,  but  keep 
tight  hold  of  my  jacket,  so  then  every  step  I  advance  will 
pull  you  up  also." 

Laura  was  delighted  with  this  plan,  which  succeeded  per- 
fectly well,  but  they  ascended  rather  slowly,  as  it  was  exceed- 
ingly fatiguing  to  Harry,  who  look  quite  happy  all  the  time 
to  be  of  use,  for  he  always  felt  glad  when  he  could  do  any 
thing  for  anybody,  more  particularly  for  either  Laura  or 
Frank.  Now,  the  whole  party  was  at  last  safely  assembled 
on  the  very  highest  point  of  Arthur's  Seat,  so  the  boys  threw 
their  caps  up  in  the  air,  and  gave  three  tremendous  cheers, 
which  frightened  the  very  crows  over  their  heads,  and  sent 
a  flock  of  sheep  scampering  down  the  mountain  side.  Af- 
ter that,  they  planted  Mr.  Harwood's  walking-stick  in  the 
ground,  for  a  staff,  while  Harry  tore  off  the  blue  silk  hand- 
kerchief which  Mrs.  Crabtree  had  tied  about  his  neck,  and 
without  caring  whether  he  caught  cold  or  not,  he  fastened  it 


60  THE    PnODIGlOUS    CAKE. 

on  the  pole  for  a  flag,  being  quite  delighted  to  see  how  it 
waved  in  the  wind  most  tiinniphantly,  looking  very  like  what 
sailors  put  up  when  they  take  possession  of  a  desert  island. 

*'  Now,  for  business  !"  said  Mr.  JIarwood,  sitting  down 
on  the  rock,  and  uncovering  a  prodigious  cake,  nearly  as 
large  as  a  cheese,  which  he  had  taken  the  trouble  to  carry, 
with  great  dilliculty,  up  the  hill.  "  I  suppose  nobody  is 
hungry  after  our  long  walk  !  Let  us  sec  what  all  the  baskets 
contain  !" 

Not  a  moment  was  lost  in  seating  themselves  on  the 
grass,  while  the  stores  were  displayed,  amidst  shouts  of  laugh- 
ter and  applause  which  generally  followed  whatever  came 
forth.  Sandwiches,  or,  as  Peter  Grey  called  them,  "sava- 
ges;" gingerbread,  cakes,  and  fruit,  all  appeared  in  turn. 
Robert  Fordyce  brought  a  dozen  of  hard-boiled  eggs,  all 
dyed  ditTerent  colours,  blue,  green,  pink,  and  yellow,  but 
not  one  was  white.  Edmund  Ashford  produced  a  collection 
of  very  sour-looking  apples,  and  Charles  Forrester  showed 
a  number  of  little  gooseberry  tarts,  but  when  it  became  time 
for  Peter's  basket  to  be  opened,  it  contained  nothing  except 
a  knife  and  fork  to  cut  up  whatever  his  companions  would 
give  him  ! 

"  Peter  !  Pet(;r  !  you  shabby  fellow  !"  said  Charles  For- 
rester, reaching  him  one  of  his  tarts,  "  you  should  be  put 
in  tlie  tread-mill  as  a  sturdy  beggar  !'' 

<'  Or  thrown  down  from  the  top  of  this  precipice,"  added 
Harry,  giving  him  a  cake.  "  I  wonder  you  can  look  any  of 
us  in  the  face,  Peter!" 

"Ihavc  heard,"  said  I\Ir.  llarwood,  "that  a  stone  is 
fihown  in  Ireland,  called  'the  stone  of  Blarney,'  and  who- 
ever kisses  it,  is  never  afterwards  ashamed  of  any  thing  he 
do<,'S.  Our  friend  Peter  has  probably  passed  that  way  late- 
ly!" 

<' At  anv  ratn,  I  am  not  likely  to  l)e  starved  to  death 
amongst  you  all !''  answered  tlie  impudent  boy,  demolishing 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  61 

every  thing  he  could  get ;  and  it  is  believed  that  Peter  ate, 
on  this  memorable  occasion,  three  times  more  than  any 
other  person,  as  each  of  the  party  offered  him  something, 
and  he  never  was  heard  to  say,  "  No !" 

"  I  could  swallow  Arthur's  Seat  if  it  were  turned  into  a 
plum-pudding,"  said  he,  pocketing  buns,  apples,  eggs,  wal- 
nuts, biscuits,  and  almonds,  till  his  coat  stuck  out  all 
round  like  a  balloon.  "  Has  any  one  any  thing  more  to 
spare  V 

"  Did  you  ever  hear,"  said  Mr.  Harwood,  "  that  a  pigeon 
eats  its  own  weight  of  food  every  day  ?  Now,  I  am  sure, 
you  and  I  know  one  boy  in  the  world,  Peter,  who  could 
do  as  much." 

"What  is  to  be  done  with  that  prodigious  cake  you 
carried  up  here,  Mr.  Harwood?"  answered  Peter,  cast- 
ing a  devouring  eye  upon  it ;  "  the  crust  seems  as 
hard  as  a  rhinoceros'  skin,  but  I  dare  say  it  is  very  good. 
One  could  not  be  sure  though,  without  tasting  it !  I  hope 
you  are  not  going  to  take  the  trouble  of  carrying  that  heavy 
load  back  again?" 

"  How  very  polite  you  are  become  all  on  a  sudden,  Peter  !" 
said  Laura,  laughing.  "  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  attempt 
carrying  that  cake  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  for  we  would 
both  roll  down,  the  shortest  way,  together." 

"  I  am  not  over-anxious  to  try  it  either,"  observed  Charles 
Forrester,  shaking  his  head.  "  Even  Peter,  though  his 
mouth  is  constantly  ajar,  would  find  that  cake  rather  heavy 
to  carry,  either  as  an  inside  or  an  outside  passenger." 

"I  can  scarcely  lift  it  at  all !"  continued  Laura,  when 
Mr.  Harwood  had  again  tied  it  up  in  the  towel ;  "  what  can 
be  done  ?" 

"  Here  is  the  very  best  plan !"  cried  Harry,  suddenly 
seizing  the  prodigious  cake ;  and  before  any  body  could 
hinder  him,  he  gave  it  a  tremendous  push  off  the  steepest 
part  of  Arthur's  Seat,  so  tliat  it  rolled  down  like  a  wheel, 

F 


62  THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKfi* 

over  stones  and  precipices,  jumping  and  hojiping  along 
with  wonderful  raj)idity,  amidst  the  cheers  and  laughter  of  all 
the  children,  till  at  last  it  reached  the  bottom  of  the  hill, 
when  a  general  clapping  of  hands  ensued. 

"Now  for  a  race!"  cried  Harry,  becoming  more  and 
more  eager.  "  The  first  boy  or  girl  who  reaches  that  cake 
shall  have  it  all  to  himself!" 

Mr.  Ilarwood  tried  with  all  his  might  to  stop  the  commo- 
tion, and  called  out  that  they  must  go  quietly  down  the  bank, 
for  Harry  had  no  right  to  give  away  the  cake,  or  to  mako 
them  break  their  legs  and  arms  with  racing  down  such  a 
hill  :  but  he  might  as  well  have  spoken  to  an  east  wind, 
and  asked  it  not  to  blow.  The  whole  party  dispersed,  like 
a  hive  of  bees  that  has  been  upset ;  and  in  a  moment  they 
were  in  full  career  after  the  cake. 

Some  of  the  boys  tried  to  roll  down,  hoping  to  get  on 
more  quickly.  Others  endeavoured  to  slide,  and  several 
attempted  to  run,  but  they  all  fell ;  and  many  of  them  might 
have  been  tunjblers  at  Sadler's  Wells,  they  tumbled  over 
and  over  so  cleverly.  Peter  Grey's  hat  was  blown  away, 
but  he  did  not  stop  to  catch  it.  Charlie  Hume  lost  his  shoe, 
Robert  Fordyce  sprained  his  ancle,  and  every  one  of  the 
girls  tore  her  frock.  It  was  a  frightful  scene  ;  such  devas- 
tation of  bonnets  aiul  jackets  as  had  never  been  known  be- 
fore ;  while  Mr.  Harwood  looked  like  the  General  of  a  de- 
feated army,  calling  till  he  became  hoarse,  and  rvmniug  till 
he  was  out  of  breath,  vainly  trying  thus  to  stop  the  confusion, 
and  to  bring  the  stragglers  back  in  better  order. 

Meantime,  Harry  and  Peter  were  far  before  the  rest, 
though  Kdward  Ashford  was  following  hard  after  them  in  des- 
perate haste,  as  if  he  still  ho|)cd  to  overtake  their  steps.  Sud- 
denly, however,  a  loud  cry  of  distress  was  heard  over-head  ; 
ancl  when  Harry  looked  up,  he  saw  so  very  alarming  a  sight, 
that  he  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes,  and  almost  screamed 
out  himself  with  the  fright  it  gave  him,  while  he  seemed  to 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  63 

forget  in  a  moment,  the  race,  Peter  Grey,  and  the  prodigious 
cake. 

Laura  had  been  very  anxious  not  to  trouble  Harry  with 
taking  care  of  her  in  coming  down  the  bank  again  ;  for  she 
saw  that  during  all  this  fun  about  the  cake,  he  perfectly  for- 
got that  she  was  not  accustomed  every  day  to  such  a  scram- 
ble on  the  hills,  and  would  have  required  some  help.     After 
looking  down  every  side  of  the  descent,  and  thinking  that 
each  appeared  steeper  than  another,  while  they  all  made  her 
equally  giddy,  Laura  determined  to  venture  on  a  part  of  the 
hill  which  seemed  rather  less  precipitous  than  the  rest ;  but  it 
completely  cheated  her,  being  the  most  difficult  and  danger- 
ous part  of  Arthur's  Seat.     The  slope  became  steeper  and 
steeper  at  every  step  ;  but  Laura  always  tried  to  hope  her 
path  might  grow  better,  till  at  last  she  reached  a  place  where 
it  was  impossible  to  stop  herself.     Down  she  went,  down ! 
down  !  whether  she  would  or  not,  screaming  and  sliding  on 
a  long  slippery  bank,  till  she  reached  the  very  edge  of  a  dan- 
gerous precipice,  which  appeared  higher  than  the  side  of 
a  room.      Laura  then  grappled  hold  of  some  stones  and 
grass,  calling  loudly  for  help,  while  scarcely  able  to  keep 
from  falling  into  the  deep  ravine,  which  would  probably  have 
killed  her.     Her  screams  were  echoed  all  over  the  hill,  wheu 
Harry  seeing  her  frightful  situation,  clambered  up  the  bank 
faster  than  any  lamplighter,  and  immediately  flew  to  Laura's 
assistance,  who  was   now  really  hanging  over  the  chasm, 
quite  unable  to  help  herself.     At  last  he  reached  the  place 
where  poor  Laura  lay,  and  seized  hold  of  her  by  the  frock ; 
but  for  some  time  it  seemed  an  equal  chance  whether  she 
dragged  him   into  the  hole,  or  he  pulled  her  away  from  it. 
Luckily,  however,  by  a  great  effort,  Harry  succeeded  in  de- 
livering Laura,  whom  he  placed  upon  a  secure  situation,  and 
then,  having  waited  patiently  till  she  recovered   from  the 
fright,  he  led  her  carefully  and  kindly  down'  to  the  bottom 
of  Arthur's  Seat. 


64  THE    I'RODIGIOUS    CAKE. 

Now,  all  the  boys  had  already  got  there,  and  a  violent  dis- 
pute was  goin<;;  ou  about  which  of  them  lir.^t  reached  the 
cake.  Peter  (ircy  had  pushed  down  I'.dward  Ashford,  who 
caught  hold  of  Robert  Fordyce,  and  they  all  three  rolled  to 
the  bottom  together,  so  that  nobody  could  tell  which  had  won 
the  race  ;  while  Mr.  Ilarwood  lal)oured  in  vain  to  convince 
them  that  the  cake  belonged  neither  to  the  one  uor  the  other, 
being  his  own  porperty. 

They  all  laughed  at  Harry  fur  being  distanced,  and  arriving 
lai^t;  while  Mr.  Ilarwood  watched  him  coming  down,  and 
was  pleased  to  observe  how  carefully  he  attended  to  Laura, 
thought  still,  being  annoyed  at  the  riot  and  confusion  which 
Harry  had  occasioned,  he  determined  to  appear  exceedingly 
angry,  and  put  on  a  very  terrible  voice,  saying, 

"  Hollo !  young  gentleman !  what  shall  I  do  to  yon  for 
beginning  this  uproar  ?  As  the  old  proverb  says,  '  one  fool 
makes  many.'  How  dare  you  roll  my  fine  cal^e  down  the 
hill  in  this  way,  and  send  everybody  rolling  after  it  ?  Look 
me  in  the  face,  and  say  you  are  ashamed  of  yourself !" 

Harry  looked  at  Mr.  Harwood— and  Mr.  Harwood  looked 
at  Harry.  They  both  tried  to  seem  very  grave  and  serious, 
but  somehow  Harry's  eyes  glittered  very  brightly,  and  two 
little  dimples  might  be  seen  in  his  cheeks.  Mr.  Harwood 
also  had  his  eye-brows  gathered  into  a  terrible  frown,  but 
still  his  eyes  were  likewise  sparkling,  and  his  mouth  seemed 
to  be  pursed  u\>  in  a  most  comical  manner.  After  staring 
at  each  other  for  several  minutes,  both  Mr.  Harwood  and 
Harry  burst  into  a  prodigious  tit  of  laughing,  and  nobody 
could  tell  which  began  tirst  or  laughed  longest. 

"Master  (irahani!  you  must  st-nd  a  new  frock  to  every 
little  girl  of  the  i>arty,  and  a  suit  of  clothes  to  each  of  the 
boys,  for  having  caused  theirs  to  be  all  destroyed.  I  really 
meant  to  punish  you  severely  for  beginning  such  a  riut,  but 
'something  ha.^  made  me  change  my  mind.  In  almost  every 
moment  of  our  lives,  we  either  act  amiably  or  unamiably, 


THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  65 

and  I  observed  you  treat  Miss  Laura  so  kindly  and  properly 
all  this  morning,  that  I  shall  say  not  another  word  about 

"  THE    PRODIGIOUS    CAKE.  " 


\ 


f  2 


CHAPTER  V. 


TEIE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.    . 

"  For,"  said  she,  in  spite  of  what  graiulmania  tauj;ht  her, 
"  I'm  really  remarkably  fond  of  the  water." 

♦  ••••• 

She  splashed,  and  she  dashed,  and  she  Hirne<l  herself  round, 
And  lu-artily  wished  herself  safe  on  tiie  ground. 

Once  upon  a  time  Harry  and  Laura  had  got  into  so  many 
scrapes,  that  there  seemed  really  no  end  to  their  misconduct. 
They  generally  forgot  to  learn  any  lessons — often  tore  their 
books — drew  pictures  on  their  slates,  instead  of  calculating 
sums — and  made  the  pages  of  their  copy-books  into  boats  ; 
besides  which,  Mrs.  Crabtree  caught  them  one  day,  when  a 
party  of  officers  dined  at  Lady  Harriet's,  with  two  of  the 
captain'.s  sword-belts  buckled  round  their  waist.s,  and  cocked 
hats  upon  their  heads,  while  they  beat  the  crown  of  a  gen- 
tleman's hat  witl)  a  walking-stick,  to  sound  like  a  drum. 

Still  it  seemed  impossible  to  make  uncle  David  feel  suf- 
ficiently angry  at  them,  though  Mrs.  Crabtree  did  all  she 
could  to  put  him  in  a  passion,  by  telling  the  very  worst; 
but  he  made  fifty  excuses  a-mimite,  as  if  he  had  been  the 
naughty  person  himself,  instead  of  Harry  or  Laura,  and 
above  all  he  said  that  they  both  .seemed  so  exceedingly  pe- 
liitent  when  he  explained  their  delinquencies,  and  they  were 
both  so  ready  to  tt  II  upon  themselves,  and  lo  take  idl  the 
blame  of  whatever  mischief  might  be  done,  that  he  was  de- 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  67 

termined  to  shut  his  eyes  and  say  nothing,  unless  they  did 
something  purposely  wrong. 

One  night,  when  Mrs.  Crabtree  had  gone  out,  Major 
Graham  felt  quite  surprised  on  his  return  home  from  a  late 
dinner  party,  to  find  Laura  and  Harry  still  out  of  bed. 
They  were  sitting  in  his  library  when  he  entered,  both  look- 
ing so  tired  and  miserable  that  he  could  not  imagine  what 
had  happened  ;  but  Harry  lost  no  time  in  confessing  that 
he  and  Laura  feared  they  had  done  some  dreadful  mischief, 
so  they  could  not  sleep  without  asking  pardon,  and  men- 
tioning whose  fault  it  was,  that  the  maids  might  not  be  un- 
justly blamed. 

"  Well,  you  little  imps  of  mischief!  what  have  I  to  scold 
you  for  now?"  asked  uncle  David,  not  looking  particularly 
angry.  "Is  it  something  that  I  shall  be  obliged  to  take  the 
trouble  of  punishing  you  for  1  We  ought  to  live  in  the  High- 
lands, where  there  are  whole  forests  of  birch  ready  for  use  ? 
Why  are  your  ears  like  a  bell-rope,  Harry  ?  because  they 
seem  made  to  be  pulled.  Now,  go  on  with  your  story. 
What  is  the  matter  1" 

"We  were  playing  about  the  room,  uncle  David,  and 
liaura  lost  her  ball,  so  she  crept  under  that  big  table  which 
has  only  one  large  leg.  There  is  a  brass  button  below,  so 
we  were  trying  if  it  would  come  off,  when  all  on  a  sudden, 
the  table  fell  quite  to  one  side,  as  you  see  it  now,  tumbling 
down  those  prodigious  books  and  tin  boxes  on  the  floor  I 
I  cannot  think  how  this  fine  new  table  could  be  so  easily 
broken ;  but  whenever  we  even  look  at  anything,  it  seems 
to  break!" 

"  Yes,  Harry !  You  remind  me  of  Meddlesome  Matty  iu 
the  nursery  rhymes, 

"  Sometimes  she'd  lift  the  teapot  lid 
To  peep  at  what  was  in  it, 
Or  tilt  the  kettle,  if  you  did 
But  turn  your  back  a  minute. 


6S  THE    LAST    CI-EAN    FROCK. 

In  vain  you  told  her  not  to  touch, 
Her  trick  of  meddling  grew  so  much." 

\ou  have  pcarcely  left  iny  poor  table  a  leg  to  stand  upon  ! 
How  am  I  ever  to  get  it  meuded  T' 

"  Perhaps  the  carpenter  could  do  it  to-morrow  I" 

"  Or,  perhaps  uncle  David  could  do  it  this  moment,"  said 
Major  Graham,  raising  the  fallen  side  with  a  sudden  jerk, 
when  Harry  and  Laura  heard  a  sound  under  the  table  like 
the  locking  of  a  door,  after  which  the  whole  alliiir  was  rec- 
tified. 

"  Did  I  ever — !"  exclaimed  Harry,  staring  with  astonish- 
ment, "so  we  have  sufl'ered  all  our  fright  for  nothing,  and 
the  table  was  not  really  broken  !  I  shall  always  run  to  you, 
uncle  David,  when  we  arc  in  a  scrape,  for  you  are  sure  to 
get  us  off." 

"  Do  not  reckon  too  certainly  on  that,  Master  Harry ;  it 
is  easier  to  get  into  one  than  to  get  out  of  it,  any  day  ;  but 
I  am  iiot  so  seriously  angry  at  the  sort  of  scrapes  Laura  and 
you  get  into,  because  you  would  not  willingly  and  delibe- 
rately do  wrong.  If  any  children  commit  a  mean  action,  or 
get  into  a  passion,  or  quarrtl  with  each  other,  or  omit  say- 
ing their  prayers  and  reading  their  liibles,  or  tell  a  lie,  or 
take  what  does  not  belong  to  them,  then  it  might  be  seen 
how  extremely  angry  I  could  be  ;  but  while  you  continue 
merely  thoughtless  and  forgctiul,  I  mean  to  have  patience  a 
little  longer  before  turning  into  a  cross  old  uncle  with  a  pair 
of  tawse." 

Harry  spnmg  upon  imcle  David's  knee,  quite  delighted 
to  hear  him  speak  so  very  kindly,  and  Laura  was  soon  in- 
stalled in  her  usual  place  there  also,  listening  to  all  that  was 
said,  and  laughing  at  his  jokes. 

"  As  Mrs.  Crabtrce  says,"  continued  Major  Graham, 
"  '  we  cannot  put  an  old  head  on  young  shoulders  ;'  and  it 
would  certainly  look  very  odd  if  you  could." 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FUOCK.  69 

So  uncle  David  took  out  his  pencil,  and  drew  a  funny  pic- 
ture of  a  cross  old  wrinkled  face  upon  young  shoulders,  like 
Laura's,  and  after  they  had  all  laughed  at  it  together  for  about 
five  minutes,  he  sent  the  children  both  to  bed,  quite  merry 
and  cheerful. 

A  long  time  elapsed  afterwards  without  anything  going 
wrong ;  and  it  was  quite  pleasant  to  see  such  learning  of 
lessons,  such  attention  to  rules,  and  such  obedience  to  Mrs. 
Crabtree,  as  went  on  in  the  nursery  during  several  weeks. 
At  last,  one  day,  when  Lady  Harriet  and  Major  Graham 
were  preparing  to  set  off  on  a  journey,  and  to  pay  a  short 
visit  at  Holiday  House,  Laura  and  Harry  observed  a  great 
deal  of  whispering  and  talking  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  but 
they  could  not  exactly  discover  what  it  was  all  about,  till 
Major  Graham  said  very  earnestly,  "  I  think  we  might  sure- 
ly take  Laura  with  us." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Lady  Harriet,  "  both  the  children  have 
been  invited,  and  are  behaving  wonderfully  well  of  late,  but 
Lord  Rockville  has  such  a  dislike  to  noise,  that  I  dare  not 
venture  to  take  more  than  one  at  a  time.  Poor  Laura  has 
a  very  severe  cough,  so  she  may  be  recovered  by  change  of 
air.  As  for  Harry,  he  is  quite  well,  and  therefore  he  can 
stay  at  home." 

Now,  Harry  thought  it  very  hard  that  he  Avas  to  be  left  at 
home,  merely  because  he  felt  quite  well,  so  he  immediately 
wished  to  be  very  ill  indeed,  that  he  might  have  some  chance 
of  going  to  Holiday  House ;  but  then  he  did  not  exactly 
know  how  to  set  about  it.  At  all  events,  Harry  determined 
to  catch  a  cold  like  Laura's,  without  delay.  He  would  not, 
for  the  whole  world  have  pretended  to  suffer  from  a  cough 
if  he  really  had  none,  because  uncle  David  had  often  ex- 
plained that  making  any  one  believe  an  un-truth  was  the 
same  as  telling  a  lie  ;  but  he  thought  there  might  be  no 
harm  in  really  getting  such  a  terrible  cold,  that  nothing 
could  possibly  cure  it  except  change  of  air,  and  a  trip  to 


70  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

Holiday  House  with  Laura.  Accordiuirly  Harry  tried  to 
reiacnibcr  every  thing  that  Mrs.  Crahtroe  had  lorbid  hint  to 
do  '"•  Cor  tear  of  catching;  cold."  He  sprinkled  water  over 
his  rihirt  collar  in  the  morning  before  dressing,  that  it  might 
be  damp;  he  ran  violently  up  and  down  stairs  to  put  him- 
self in  a  heat,  aft^er  which  he  sat  between  the  open  window 
and  door  till  he  felt  jx;rfectly  chilled  ;  and  when  going  to  bed 
at  night,  he  washed  his  hair  in  cold  water  without  drying  it. 
Still,  all  was  in  vain  !  Harry  had  formerly  caught  cold  a 
hundred  times  when  he  did  not  want  one;  but  now,  such  a 
thing  was  not  to  be  had  for  love  or  money.  Nothing  seem- 
ed to  give  him  the  very  slightest  attempt  at  a  cough  ;  and 
when  the  day  at  last  arrived  for  Lady  Harriet  to  begin  her 
journey,  Harry  still  felt  himself  most  provokingly  welL 
Not  so  much  a.s  a  finger  ached,  his  cheeks  were  eus  blooming 
as  roses,  his  voice  as  clear  as  a  bell,  and  when  uncle  David 
accidentally  said  to  him  in  the  morning,  "  How  do  you 
do?"  Harry  was  obliged,  very  much  against  his  will,  to 
answer,  "  Quite  well,  I  thank  you  !" 

in  the  meantime,  Laura  would  have  felt  too  happy  if 
Harry  could  only  have  gone  with  her  ;  and  even  as  it  was, 
being  impatient  for  the  happy  day  to  arrive,  she  hurried  to 
bed  an  hour  earlier  than  usual  the  night  before,  to  make  the 
time  ofsettinij  out  appear  nearer;  and  she  could  scarcely 
sleep  or  eat  for  thinking  of  Holiday  House,  and  planning 
all  that  was  to  be  done  there. 

"It  is  pleasant  to  see  so  joyous  a  face,"  said  Major 
Graham.  "  I  almost  envy  you,  Laura,  for  being  so  hajv 
py." 

"  Oh  1  I  quite  envy  myself!  but  I  shall  write  a  long  let- 
ter every  day  to  |)oor  Harry,  telling  him  all  the  news,  and 
all  my  adventures." 

"Nonsense!  Miss  Laura!  wait  till  you  romc  home," 
said  Mrs.  Crabtree.  "  \N  ho  do  you  think  is  going  to  pay 
postage  for  80  many  foolish  letters  ?" 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  71 

<'i  shall!"  answered  Harry.  "I  have  got  sixpence, 
and  two  pence,  and  a  half  penny,  so  I  shall  buy  every  one 
of  Laura's  letters  from  the  postman,  and  write  her  an  an- 
swer immediately  afterwards.  She  will  like  to  hear,  Mrs. 
C-rabtree,  how  very  kind  you  are  going  to  be,  when  I  am 
left  by  myself  here.  Perhaps  you  will  play  at  nine  pins 
with  me,  and  Laura  can  lend  you  her  skipping  rope." 

"  You  might  as  well  offer  uncle  David  a  hobby-horse," 
said  Frank,  laughingly,  throwing  his  satchel  over  his  shoul- 
ders. "  No,  Harry  !  you  shall  belong  to  me  now.  Grand- 
mama  says  you  may  go  every  day  to  my  play-ground, 
where  all  the  school-boys  assemble,  and  you  can  have 
plenty  of  fun  till  Laura  comes  back.  We  shall  jump  over 
the  moon  every  morning,  for  joy." 

Harry  brightened  up  amazingly,  thinking  he  had  never 
heard  such  good  news  before,  as  it  was  a  grand  piece  of 
promotion  to  play  with  reai  big  school-boys ;  so  he  became 
quite  reconciled  to  Laura's  going  away  for  a  short  time 
without  him ;  and  when  the  hour  came  for  tciking  leave,  in- 
stead of  tears  being  shed  on  either  side,  it  would  have  been 
diincult  to  say,  as  they  kissed  each  other  and  said  a  joyous 
good-bye,  which  face  looked  the  most  delighted. 

All  Laura's  clothes  had  been  packed  the  night  before,  in 
a  large  chaise  seat,  which  was  now  put  into  the  carriage 
along  with  herself,  and  every  thing  seemed  ready  for  depar- 
ture, when  Lady  Harriet's  maid  was  suddenly  taken  so 
very  ill,  as  to  be  quite  unfit  for  travelling  ;  therefore  she 
was  left  behind,  and  a  doctor  sent  for  to  attend  her ;  while 
liady  Harriet  said  she  would  trust  to  the  maids  at  Holiday 
House,  for  waiting  upon  herself  and  Laura. 

It  is  seldom  that  so  happy  a  face  is  seen  in  this  world, 
as  Laura  wore  during  the  whole  journey.  It  perfectly 
sparkled  and  glittered  with  delight,  while  she  was  so  con- 
stantly on  a  broad  grin  laughing,  that  Major  Graham  said 


~2  THE    LAST    CLEAN    KUOCK. 

he  feared  her  mouth  would  grow  an   inch  wider  on  the  oc- 
casion. 

"  \  ou  will  tire  of  sitting  so  long  idle  !  It  is  a  pity  we  did 
not  tliink  of  bringing  a  few  lesson-books  in  the  carriage  to 
amuse  you,  Laura,"  said  the  Major,  slyly.  "  A  piece  of 
needle-work  might  have  beguiled  the  way.  I  once  knew 
an  industrious  lady  who  made  a  ball  dress  for  herself  in  the 
carriage  during  a  journey." 

**  How  very  stupid  of  her  to  miss  seeing  all  the  pretty 
trees,  and  cottages,  and  farm-houses  !  I  do  like  to  watch 
the  little  curly-headed,  dirty  children,  playing  on  the  road, 
with  brown  faces,  and  hair  bleached  white  in  the  sun  ;  and 
the  women  hanging  out  their  clothes  on  the  hedges  to  dry ; 
and  the  blacksmith  shoeing  horses,  and  the  ducks  swim- 
ming in  the  gutters,  and  the  pigs  thrusting  their  noses  out 
of  the  sty,  and  the  old  women  knitting  stockings,  and  the 
workmen  sitting  on  a  wall  to  eat  their  dinners!  It  looks 
all  so  pretty,  and  so  pleasant !" 

"  What  a  picture  of  rural  felicity !  You  ought  to  be  a 
poet  or  a  painter,  Laura!" 

*'  But  I  believe  poets  always  call  this  a  miserable  world  ; 
and  I  think  it  the  happiest  place  I  have  ever  been  in,  uncle 
David  !  Such  fun  durinc  the  holidays  !  I  should  go  wild 
altogether,  if  Mrs.  Crabtree  were  not  rather  cross  some- 
times." 

<'  Or  very  cross  always,"  thought  Major  Graham.  "  But 
here  we  are,  Laura,  near  our  journey's  end.  Allow  me  to 
introduce  you  to  Holiday  House  !  ^Vhy,  you  are  staring  at 
it  like  a  dog  looking  at  a  piece  of  cold  beef!  My  dear 
girl,  if  you  o[ten  your  eyes  so  wide,  you  will  never  be  able 
lo  shut  them  again  !" 

Holiday  House  was  not  one  of  those  prodigious  places, 
too  grand  to  be  pleasant,  with  the  garden  a  mile  off  in  one 
direction,  and  the  farm  a  mile  off  in  another,  and  the  draw- 
ing-room  a  mile  ofl  from  the  dining-room  ;   but  it  was  a 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  73 

very  cheerful  modern  mansion,  with  rooms  enough  to  hold 
as  many  people  as  any  one  could  desire  to  see  at  once,  all 
very  comfortably  furnished.  A  lively,  dashing  river, 
streamed  past  the  windows  ;  a  small  park,  sprinkled  with 
sheep,  and  shaded  by  fine  trees,  surrounded  the  house  ;  and 
beyond  were  beautiful  gardens  filled  with  a  superabundance 
of  the  gayest  and  sweetest  common  flowers.  Roses, 
carnations,  wall  flowers,  holly-hocks,  dahlias,  lilies,  and 
violets,  were  assembled  there  in  such  crowds,  that  Laura 
might  have  plucked  nosegays  all  day,  \vithout  making  any 
visible  difference  ;  and  she  was  also  made  free  of  the  goose- 
berry bushes  and  cherry-trees,  with  leave  to  gather,  if  she 
pleased,  more  than  she  could  eat. 

Every  morning,  Laura  entered  the  breakfast-room  with 
cheeks  like  the  roses  she  carried,  bringing  little  bouquets  for 
all  the  ladies,  which  she  had  started  out  of  bed  early,  in  order 
to  gather;  and  her  great  delight  was  to  see  them  worn  and 
admired  all  the  forenoon,  while  she  was  complimented  on 
the  taste  with  which  they  had  been  selected  and  arranged. 
She  filled  every  ornamental  jar,  basin,  and  tea-cup  in  the 
drawing-room,  with  groups  of  roses,  and  would  have  been 
the  terror  of  any  gardener  but  the  one  at  Holiday  House, 
who  liked  to  see  his  flowers  so  much  admired,  and  was  not 
keeping  up  any  for  a  horticultural  show. 

Laura's  chief  delight,  however,  was  in  the  dairy,  which 
seemed  the  most  beautiful  thing  she  had  ever  beheld,  being 
built  of  rough  transparent  spar,  which  looked  exactly  like 
crystal,  and  reminded  her  of  the  ice  palace  built  by  the  Em- 
press of  Russia.  The  windows  were  of  painted  glass  ;  the 
walls  and  shelves  where  of  Dutch  tiles,  and  in  the  centre 
rose  a  beautiful  jet  d'eau  of  clear  bright  water. 

Laura  thought  it  looked  like  something  built  for  the  fair- 
ies ;  but  within  see  saw  a  most  substantial  room,  the  floor 
and  tables  in  which  were  so  completely  covered  with  cheeses, 
that  they  looked  like  some  old  Mosaic  pavement.     Here  the 

G 


74  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

good-natured  dairy-maid  showed  Laura  how  to  make  cheese, 
and  afterwards  manulactured  a  very  small  one  about  the 
size  of  a  soup  plate,  entirely  for  the  young  lady  herself, 
which  she  promised  to  take  home  after  her  visit  was  over  ; 
and  a  little  churn  was  also  filled  full  or  cream,  which  Laura 
one  morning  churned  into  butter,  and  breakfasted  upon,  after 
having  first  practised  printing  it  into  a  variety  of  shapes.  It 
was  altered  about  twenty  times  from  a  swan  into  a  cow, 
and  from  a  cow  into  a  rose,  and  from  a  rose  back  to  a,  swan 
afrain,  before  she  could  be  persuaded  to  leave  off  her  amuse- 
ment. 

Laura  continued  to  become  more  and  more  delighted 
with  Holiday  House  ;  and  she  one  day  skipped  aboUt  Lady 
JIarriet's  room,  saying,  "Oh!  I  am  too  happy  !  I  scarce- 
ly know  what  to  do  with  so  much  happiness.  How  delight- 
ful it  would  be  to  stay  here  all  my  life,  and  never  to  go  to 
bed,  nor  say  any  more  lessons  as  long  as  I  live  !" 

"  What  a  useless,  stupid  girl  you  would  soon  become," 
observed  Lady  Harriet.  "  Do  you  think,  liaura,  that  les- 
sons were  invented  for  no  other  purpose  but  to  torment  lit- 
tle children  ?" 

"  No,  grandmama  ;  not  exactly  !  They  arc  of  use  also  to 
keep  us  quiet." 

«  Come  here,  little  madam,  and  listen  to  me.  I  shall  soon 
be  very  old,  Laura,  and  notable  to  read  my  Bible,  even  with 
spectacles  ;  for,  as  the  Scriptures  told  us,  in  that  aflecting  des- 
cription of  old  ago,  which  I  read  to  you  yesterday,  'the  keep- 
ers of  the  house  shall  tremble,  and  the  grinders  cea.se  because 
they  are  few,  and  those  that  look  out  of  ihe  windows  be 
(Inikened  :'  what  then  do  you  think  1  can  do,  because  the 
liible  now  is  my  best  comfort,  which  I  shall  nerd  more  and 
more  every  day,  to  tell  me  all  about  the  eternal  world  where 
I  am  going,  and  to  shew  me  the  way." 

"  (irandtiiama !  you  promised  long  ago  to  let  mc  attend 
on  you  when  you  grow  old  and  blind !     I  shall  be  very  care- 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  75 

ful,  and  very — very — very  kind.  I  almost  wish  you  were 
old  and  blind  now,  to  let  you  feel  how  much  I  love  you,  and 
how  anxious  I  am  to  be  as  good  to  you  as  you  have  always 
been  to  me.  We  shall  read  the  Bible  together  every  morn- 
ing, and  as  often  afterwards  as  you  please." 

«  Thank  you,  my  dear  child !  but  you  must  take  the  trou- 
ble of  learning  to  read  well,  or  we  shall  be  sadly  puzzled  with 
the  difficult  words.  A  friend  of  mine  once  had  nobody 
that  could  read  to  her  when  she  was  ill,  but  the  maid,  who 
bargained  that  she  might  leave  out  every  word  above  one 
syllable  long,  because  they  were  too  hard  for  her  ;  and  you 
could  hardly  help  laughing  at  the  nonsense  it  sometimes 
rttade;  but  I  hope  you  will  manage  better." 

«  0  certainly,  grandmama  !  I  can  spell  chrononhoton- 
thologos,  and  all  the  other  five-cornered  words  in  my 
« Reading  Made  Easy,'  already." 

"Besides  that,  my  dear  Laura  !  unless  you  learn  to  look 
over  my  bills,  I  may  be  sadly  cheated  by  servants  and  shop- 
keepers. You  must  positively  study  to  find  out  how  many 
cherries  make  five." 

"  Ah  !  grandmama !  nobody  knows  better  than  I  do,  that 
two  and  two  make  four.  I  shall  soon  be  quite  able  to  keep 
your  accounts." 

«  Very  well  !  but  you  have  not  yet  heard  half  the  trouble 
I  mean  to  give  you.  I  am  remarkably  fond  of  music,  and 
shall  probably  at  last  be  obliged  to  hire  every  old  fiddler  as 
he  passes  in  the  street,  by  giving  him  sixpence  in  order  to 
enjoy  some  of  my  favourite  tunes." 

"  No,  grandmama  !  you  shall  hear  them  all  from  me.  I 
can  play  Malbrook,  and  Auld  Robin  Grey,  already;  and 
Frank  says  if  I  practise  two  hours  every  day  for  ten  years, 
I  shall  become  a  very  tolerable  player,  fit  for  you  and  uncle 
David  to  hear,  without  being  disagreeable." 

"  Then  that  will  be  more  than  seven  thousand  hours  of 
musical  lessons  which  you  have  yet  to  endure,  Laura  !  There 


76  THE    LAST    CLEAN    FROCK. 

are  many  more  things  of  still  greater  importance  to  learn 
al.so,  if  you  wish  to  be  any  better  than  a  musical  snuff-box. 
For  instance,  when  visitors  come  to  sec  me,  they  are  ol\en 
from  France  or  Italy  ;  but  perhaps  you  will  not  mind  sitting 
in  the  room  as  if  you  were  deaf  and  dumb,  gazing  at  those 
foreigners,  while  they  gaze  at  you,  without  understanding  a 
syllable  they  say,  and  causing  them  to  feel  strange  and  un- 
comfortable as  long  as  they  remain  in  the  house." 

"  No  !  I  would  not  for  the  world  seem  so  unkind  and 
uncivil.     Pray,  let  me  learn  plenty  of  languages." 

"  Very  well  !  but  if  you  study  no  geography,  what  ridicu- 
lous blunders  you  will  be  falling  into!  asking  the  Italians 
about  their  native  town  Madrid,  and  the  Americans  if  they 
were  born  at  Petersburgh.  You  will  be  fancying  that  tra- 
vellers go  by  steam-boats  to  Moscow,  and  travel  in  a  day 
from  Paris,  through  Stockholm  to  Naples.  How  ashamed 
I  should  be  of  such  n)istakcs  !" 

"  And  so  should  I,  grandmama,  still  more  than  you  ;  for 
it  would  be  quite  a  disgrace." 

"  Do  you  remember,  liaura,  your  uncle  David  laughing, 
when  he  last  went  to  live  at  Leamingtom,  about  poor  Mrs. 
Marmalade  coming  up  stairs  to  say,  she  did  not  wish  to  be 
troublesome,  but  should  f<«l  greatly  obliged  if  he  would  call 
at  Portsmouth  occasionally  to  see  her  son  Thomas.  And 
when  Ca|)tain  Armylist's  regiment  was  ordered  last  winter 
to  the  village  of  Bathgate  near  this,  he  told  me  they  were 
to  march  in  the  course  of  that  morning,  nil  the  way  to  Bag- 
dad." 

"\es,  grandmama!  and  Mrs.  Crabtree  said  some  weeks 
ago,  that  if  her  l>i(>thcr  went  to  Van  Dieman's  l>an(l,  she 
thought  he  would  of  course  in  passing,  take  n  look  at  Jcru- 
tialem  ;  and  Frank  was  amused  lately  to  hear  Peter  Grey 
maintain,  thjit  Ciullivrr  was  as  great  aman  asColunjbus,  be- 
cause he  discovered  Liliput!" 

"  Quito  like  him  !   for  I  heard  Peter  ask  one   day  lately, 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  77 

WAat  side  Bonaparte  was  on  at  the  battle  of  Leipsic  ?  We 
must  include  a  little  history  I  think,  Laura,  in  our  list  of 
studies,  or  you  will  fancy  that  Lord  Nelson  fought  at  the 
battle  of  Blenheim,  and  that  Henry  VIIL  cut  off  Queen 
Mary's  head." 

"  Not  quite  so  bad  as  that,  grandmama  !  I  seem  to  have 
known  all  about  Lord  Nelson  and  Queen  Mary,  ever  since 
I  was  a  baby  in  long  frocks  !  You  have  shewn  me,  however, 
that  it  would  be  very  foolish  not  to  feel  anxious  for  lessons, 
especially  when  they  are  to  make  me  a  fit  companion  for 
you  at  last." 

"  Yes,  Laura !  and  not  only  for  me,  but  for  many  whose 
conversation  will  entertain  and  improve  you  more  than  any 
books.  The  most  delightful  accomplishment  that  a  young 
person  can  cultivate,  is  that  of  conversing  agreeably ;  and 
it  is  less  attended  to  in  education  than  any  other.  You  can- 
not take  a  harp  or  piano  about  with  you,  but  our  minds  and 
tongues  are  always  portable,  and  accompany  us  wherever  we 
go.  If  you  wish  to  be  loved  by  others,  and  to  do  good  to 
your  associates,  as  well  as  to  entertain  them,  take  every  op- 
portunity of  conversing  with  those  who  are  either  amiable  or 
agreeable ;  not  only  attending  to  their  opinions,  but  also 
endeavouring  to  gain  the  habit  of  expressing  your  own 
thoughts  with  ease  and  fluency  ;  and  then  rest  assured,  that 
if  the  gift  of  conversation  be  rightly  exercised,  it  is  the 
most  desirable  of  all,  as  no  teaching  can  have  greater  influ- 
ence in  leading  people  to  think  and  act  aright,  than  the  in- 
cidental remarks  of  an  enlightened  Christian,  freely  and 
unaffectedly  talking  to  his  intimate  friends." 

"  Well,  grandmama  !  the  moral  of  all  this  is,  that  I  shall 
become  busier  than  any  body  ever  was  before,  when  we  get 
home  ;  but  in  the  meantime,  I  may  take  a  good  dose  of 
idleness  now  at  Holiday  House,  to  prepare  me  for  settling 
to  very  hard  labour  afterwards,"  said  Laura,  hastily  tying 

g2 


78  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

on  her  bonnet.     "  I  wonder  if  I  f^hall  ever  be  as  merry  and 
ha|)pv  again  !" 

Most  unfortunately,  all  the  time  of  Laura's  visit  at  Holiday 
House,  she  bad  been,  as  usual,  extremely  heedless,  in  tak- 
ing no  care  whatever  of  her  clothes  ;  consequently  her  blue 
merino  frock  had  been  cruelly  torn  ;  her  green  silk  dress 
became  friiihtfuUy  soiled  ;  four  ^\hite  frocks  were  utterly 
ruined ;  her  Swiss  muslin  seemed  a  perfect  object,  and  her 
pink  gingham  was  both  torn  and  discoloured.  Regularly 
every  evening  Lady  Harriet  told  her  to  take  better  care,  or 
she  would  1)0  a  bankrupt  in  frocks  altogether  ;  but  whatever 
her  grandmama  said  on  that  subject,  the  moment  she  was 
out  of  sight,  it  went  out  of  mind,  till  another  dress  had 
shared  the  same  deplorable  fate. 

At  last,  one  morning,  a.s  soon  as  Laura  got  up,  I^ady 
Harriet  gravely  led  her  towards  a  large  table  on  which  all  the 
ill-used  frocks  had  been  laid  out  in  a  row;  and  a  most  dis- 
mal sight  they  were  !  Such  a  collection  of  stains  and  frac- 
tures was  probably  never  seen  before  !  A  beggar  would 
scarcely  have  thanked  her  for  her  blue  merino  ;  and  tho 
green  silk  frock  looked  like  the  tattered  cover  of  a  worn- 
out  umbrella. 

"  Laura,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  "  in  Swit/erland  a  lady's 
wardrobe  descend.-^  to  nia»iv  generations  :  but  uobodv  will 
envy  your  successor  !  One  might  fancy  that  a  wild  beast 
had  torn  you  to  pieces  every  day !  I  wonder  what  an  old 
clothesman  would  give  for  your  whole  baggage  !  It  is  only 
fit  for  being  used  as  rags  in  a  paper  manufactory  I" 

Poor  Laura's  face  became  perfectly  pink  when  she  saw 
the  destruction  that  a  very  short  time  had  occasioned  :  and 
ii\u:  looked  from  one  tattered  garment  to  anolher,  in  mr-lan- 
cholv  silence,  thinking  how  lately  they  had  all  been  fresh 
and  beautiful  ;  but  now  not  a  vestige  of  their  former  splen- 
dour remained.  At  last  her  grandmama  broke  the  awful 
silence,  by  saying, 


THE    LAST    CLEAN    FROCK.  79 

"  My  dear  girl !  I  have  warned  you  very  often  lately  that 
we  are  not  at  home,  where  your  frocks  could  be  washed  and 
mended  as  soon  as  they  were  spoiled ;  but  without  consi- 
dering this  you  have,  every  day,  destroyed  several,  so  now 
the  maid  finds,  on  examining  your  drawers,  that  there  is 
only  one  clean  frock  remaining  !" 

Laura  looked  gravely  at  the  last  clean  frock,  and  won- 
dered much  what  her  grandmama  would  say  next. 

'•'  I  do  not  wish  to  make  a  prisoner  of  you  at  home  during 
this  very  fine  weather,  yet  in  five  minutes  after  leaving  the 
house,  you  will,  of  course,  become  unfit  to  be  seen,  which 
I  should  very  much  regret,  as  a  number  of  fine  people 
are  coming  to  dinner,  whom  you  would  like  to  see. 
The  great  General  Courteney,  and  all  his  Aide-de- 
Camps,  intend  to  be  here  on  their  way  from  a  review, 
besides  many  officers  and  ladies  who  know  your  papa  very 
well,  and  wish  to  see  my  little  grand-daughter ;  but  I  would 
not  on  any  account  allow  you  to  appear  before  them,  look- 
ing like  a  perfect  tatterdemalion,  as  you  too  often  do. 
They  would  suppose  you  had  been  drawn  backwards  through 
a  hedge !  Now  my  plan  is,  that  you  shall  wear  this  old 
pink  gingham  for  romping  all  morning  in  the  garden,  and 
dress  in  your  last  clean  frock  for  dinner  ;  but  remember  to 
keep  out  of  sight  till  then.  Remain  within  the  garden 
walls,  as  none  of  the  company  will  be  walking  there,  but  be 
sure  to  avoid  the  terrace  and  shrubberies  till  you  are  made 
tidy,  for  I  shall  be  both  angry  and  mortified  if  your  papa's 
friends  see  you  for  the  first  time  looking  like  rag-fair." 

Laura  promised  to  remember  her  grandmama's  injunc- 
tions, and  to  remain  invisible  all  morning  ;  so  off  she  set 
to  the  garden,  singing  and  skipping  with  joy,  as  she  ran 
towards  her  pleasant  hiding-place,  planning  twenty  ways  in 
which  the  day  might  be  delightfully  spent  alone.  Before 
long  she  had  strung  a  long  necklace  of  daisies — she  had 
put  many  bright  leaves  in  a  book  to  dry — she  had  made  a 


80  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

large  ball  of  cowslips  to  toss  in  the  air — she  had  watered 
the  hyacinths,  with  a  watering-pot,  till  they  were  nearly 
washed  away — she  had  plucked  more  roses  than  could  pos- 
sibly be  carried,  and  eat  as  many  gooseberries  and  cherries 
as  it  was  convenient  to  swallow, — but  still  there  were  seve- 
ral hours  remaining  to  be  enjoyed,  and  nothing  very  parti- 
cular, that  Laura  could  think  of,  to  do. 

Meantime,  the  miserable  pink  frock  was  torn  worse  than 
ever,  and  seemed  to  be  made  of  nothing  but  holes,  for 
every  gooseberry-bush  in  (he  garden  had  got  a  share  of  it. 
Laura  wished  pink  gingham  frocks  had  never  been  invent- 
ed, and  wondered  why  nothing  stronger  could  be  made  ! 
Having  become  perfectly  tired  of  the  garden,  she  now 
wished  herself  anywhere  else  in  the  world,  and  thought  she 
was  no  better  off,  confined  in  this  way  within  four  walls, 
than  a  canary  bird  in  a  cage. 

"  I  should  like  so  much  to  go,  if  it  were  only  for  five 
minutes,  on  the  terrace  !"  said  she  to  herself.  "  How  much 
pleasanter  it  is  than  this.  Graiidmania  did  not  care  where 
I  went,  provided  nobody  saw  me  !  I  may  at  least  talvc  a 
peep  to  see  if  any  one  is  there  !'' 

Laura  now  cautiously  opened  the  garden-door,  and  put  her 
head  out,  intending  only  to  look  for  a  moment,  but  the  mo- 
ment grew  longer  and  longer,  till  it  stretched  into  ten  minutes. 

"  What  crowds  of  fine  people  are  walking  about  on  the 
terrace  !"  thought  she.  "  It  looks  as  gay  as  a  fair !  "Who 
can  that  ofliffr  be  in  a  red  coat,  and  cocked  hat  with  white 
feathers.  Proijably  General  Courtency  paying  attention  to 
Lady  Rockville.  There  is  a  lady  in  a  blue  cloalv  and  blue 
flowers  !  how  very  prctly  !  Everybody  is  so  exceedingly 
smart !  and  I  see  some  little  boys  too!  Grandmama  never 
told  me  any  children  were  coming  !  I  wonder  how  old 
they  are,  and  if  they  will  jilay  with  me  in  the  evening  I  It 
would  be  very  amusing  to  venture  a  little  nearer,  and  get  a 
better  glimpse  of  them  all  !" 


TUE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK  81 

If  Laura's  wishes  pointed  one  way  and  her  duty  pointed 
the  other,  it  was  a  very  sad  thing  how  often  she  forgot  to 
pause  and  consider  which  she  ought  to  follow  ;  and  on  this 
occasion,  as  usual,  she  took  the  naughty  side  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  prepared  to  indulge  her  curiosity,  though  very 
anxious  that  nothing  might  happen  to  displease  her  grand- 
mama.  She  observed  at  some  distance  on  the  terrace,  a 
remarkably  large  thick  holly-bush,  near  which  the  great  pro- 
cession of  company  would  probably  pass  before  long, 
therefore,  hoping  nobody  could  possibly  see  her  there,  she 
stole  hastily  out  of  the  garden,  and  concealed  herself  behind 
it;  but  when  children  do  wrong,  in  hopes  of  not  being 
found  out,  they  generally  find  themselves  mistaken,  as 
Laura  soon  discovered  to  her  cost.  It  is  very  lucky,  however, 
for  the  culprits,  when  they  are  detected,  that  they  may  learu 
never  to  behave  so  foolishly  again,  because  the  greatest 
misfortune  that  can  happen  to  a  child  is,  not  to  be  found 
out  and  punished  when  he  does  wrong. 

A  few  minutes  after  Laura  had  taken  her  station  behind 
the  hoily-bush,  crowds  of  ladies  and  officers  came  strolling 
along,  so  very  near  her  hiding-place,  that  she  saw  them  all 
distinctly,  and  felt  excessively  amused  and  delighted  at 
first,  to  be  perched  like  a  bird  in  a  tree  watching  this  grand 
party,  while  nobody  saw  her,  nor  guessed  that  she  was 
there.  Presently,  however,  Laura  became  sadly  frighten- 
ed when  an  officer  in  a  scarlet  coat  happened  to  look  to- 
wards the  holly-bush,  and  exclaimed,  with  some  surprise, 

"  There  is  surely  something  very  odd  about  that  plant ! 
I  see  large  pink  spots  between  the  leaves  !" 

"  Oh  no.  Captain  Digby,  you  are  quite  mistaken,"  an- 
swered one  of  the  ladies,  dressed  in  a  bright  yellow  bonnet 
and  green  pelisse.  "  I  see  nothing  particular  there !  only 
a  common  ugly  bush  of  holly  !  I  wonder  you  ever  thought 
of  noticing  it !" 

"  But,  Miss  Perceval !  there  certainly  is  something  very 


82  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

curious  behind  !  I  would  bet  five  to  one  there  is !"  re- 
plied Captain  Digby,  stepping  up,  close  to  the  holly-bush, 
and  peojjing  over:  "What  have  we  here!  a  ragged  little 
girl,  I  do  believe  !   in  a  pink  frock  !" 

Poor  Laura  was  now  in  a  terrible  scrape  ;  she  started  up 
immediately  fo  run  away.  Probably  she  never  ran  so  fast 
in  her  life  before,  but  Captain  Digby  was  a  person  who  en- 
joyed a  joke,  so  he  called  out 

"  Tally-ho  !  a  race  for  a  thousand  pounds !" 

Offset  the  Captain,  and  away  flew  Laura.  At  any  other 
time  she  would  have  thought  it  capital  fun,  but  now  she 
was  frightened  out  of  her  wits,  and  tore  away  at  the  very 
top  of  her  speed.  The  whole  party  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men stood  laughing,  and  applauding,  to  sec  how  fast  they 
both  cleared  the  ground,  while  Laura,  seeing  the  garden 
gate  still  wide  open,  hoped  she  might  be  able  to  dart  in, 
and  close  it,  but  alas  !  when  she  arrived  within  four  steps 
of  the  threshold,  feeling  almost  certain  of  escape.  Captain 
Digby  seized  hold  of  her  pink  frock  behind.  It  instantly 
began  tearing,  so  she  had  great  hopes  of  leaving  the  piece 
in  his  hand  and  getting  off;  but  he  wa.s  too  clever  for  thai, 
as  he  gra-spcd  hold  of  her  long  sash,  which  was  floating  far 
out  behind,  and  led  Laura  a  prisoner  before  Ihe  whole  com- 
pany. 

AVhen  Lady  Harriet  discovered  that  this  was  really  I^aura 
advancing,  her  head  hanging  down,  her  hair  streaming 
about  her  ears,  and  her  face  like  a  full  moon,  she  could 
scarcely  credit  her  own  eyes,  and  hnld  her  hands  up  with 
a-itonishment,  while  uncle  David  shrugged  his  .shoulders, 
till  they  almost  met  over  his  head,  but  not  a  word  wa.s  said 
on  either  side  until  they  got  home,  when  I^ady  Harriet  at 
last  broke  the  awful  silence  by  .saying, 

"  My  dear  girl  !  you  must,  of  course,  be  severely  punish- 
ed for  this  act  of  disobedience,  and   it  is   not  so  much  on 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  83 

account  of  feeling  angry  at  your  misconduct  that  I  mean  to 
correct  you,  but  because  I  love  you,  and  wish  to  make  you 
behave  better  in  future.  Parents  are  appointed  by  God  to 
govern  their  children  as  he  governs  us,  not  carelessly  indulg- 
ing their  faults,  but  wisely  correcting  them,  for  we  are  told 
that  our  Great  Father  in  heaven  chastens  those  whom  he 
loves,  and  only  afflicts  us  for  great  and  wise  purposes.  I 
have  suffered  many  sorrows  in  the  world,  but  they  always 
made  me  better  in  the  end,  and  whatever  discipline  you  meet 
with  from  me,  or  from  that  Great  Being  who  loves  you  still 
more  than  I  do,  let  it  teach  you  to  consider  your  ways,  to 
repent  of  your  wilfulness,  and  to  pray  that  you  may  be  en- 
abled to  act  more  properly  in  future." 

"  Yes,  grandmama,"  replied  Laura,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
"  I  am  quite  willing  to  be  punished,  for  it  was  very  wrong 
indeed  to  make  you  so  vexed  and  ashamed,  by  disobeying 
your  orders." 

"  Then  here  is  a  long  task  which  you  must  study  before 
dinner,  as  a  penalty  for  trespassing  bounds.  It  is  a  beauti- 
ful poem  on  the  death  of  Sir  John  Moore,  which  every 
schooi-girl  can  repeat,  but  being  rather  long,  you  will  scarce- 
ly have  time  to  learn  it  perfectly,  before  coming  down  to 
dessert,  therefore,  that  you  may  be  quite  ready,  I  shall  ring 
now  for  Lady  Rockville's  maid,  and  have  you  washed  and 
dressed  immediately.  Remember  this  is  your  last  clean 
frock,  and  be  sure  not  to  spoil  it." 

When  Laura  chose  to  pay  attention,  she  could  learn  her 
lessons  wonderfully  fast,  and  her  eyes  seemed  nailed  to  the 
book  for  some  time  after  Lady  Harriet  went  away,  till  at 
last  she  could  repeat  the  whole  poem  perfectly  well.  It  was 
neither  "  slowly  nor  sadly"  that  Laura  "  laid  down"  her  book, 
after  practising  it  all,  in  a  sort  of  jig  time,  till  she  could  rat- 
tle over  the  poem  like  a  rail-road,  and  she  walked  to  the 
window,  still  murmuring  the  verses  to  herself  with  prodi- 


84  TUE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

gious  glcc,  and  giving  liltlc   thought  to  their  melancholy 
subject. 

A  variety  of  plans  suggested  themselves  to  her  mind  for 
amusing  herself  within  doors,  as  she  had  been  forbidden  to 
venture  out,  and  she  lost  no  time  in  executing  them.  First, 
she  tried  on  all  her  grandmama's  caps  at  a  looking-glass, 
none  of  which  were  improved  by  being  crushed  and  tum- 
bled in  such  a  way.  Then  she  f|U!irrellcd  with  Lady  Rock- 
villc's  beautiful  cockatoo,  till  it  bit  her  fincor  violently,  and 
after  that,  she  tcazcd  the  old  cat  till  it  scratched  her  ;  but  all 
these  diversions  were  not  sufhciently  entertaining,  so  Laura 
began  to  grow  rather  tired,  till  at  last  she  went  to  gaze  out 
at  the  portico  of  Holiday  House,  being  perfectly  determined, 
on  no  account  whatever,  to  go  one  single  step  farther. 

Here  Laura  saw  many  things  which  entertained  her  ex- 
tremely, for  she  had  scarcely  ever  seen  more  of  the  country 
than  was  to  be  enjoyed  with  Mrs.  Crabtree  in  Charlotte 
Square.  The  punctual  crows  were  all  returning  home  at 
their  usual  hour  for  the  evening,  and  looked  like  a  black 
shower  over  her  head,  while  hundreds  of  them  seemed  try- 
ing to  make  a  concert  at  once;  the  robins  hopped  close  to 
her  feet,  evidoutly  accustomed  to  be  fed  ;  a  tame  pheasant, 
as  fat  as  a  Loudou  al<lerniaii,  came  up  the  steps  to  keep  her 
company  ;  and  the  peacock,  spreading  his  tail,  and  strutting 
about,  looked  the  very  picture  of  silly  pride  and  vanity. 

Laura  admired  and  enjoyed  all  this  extremely,  and  crum- 
bled down  nearly  a  loaf  of  bread,  which  she  scattered  on  the 
ground,  in  order  to  be  popular  amonghcr  visitors,  who  took 
all  they  could  not  from  her,  and  quarrelled  amoni;  themselves 
about  it,  very  much  as  boys  and  girls  would  perhaps  have 
done  in  the  same  circumstances. 

It  happened  at  this  moment,  that  a  large  flock  of  geese 
crossed  the  park,  on  their  way  towards  the  river,  stalking 
along  in  a  slow  majestic  manner,  with  their  heads  high  in 
the  air.      Laura  observed   them  at  a  distance,  and   thought 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  85 

they  were  the  prettiest  creatures  in  the  world,  with  their  pure 
white  feathers  and  yellow  stockings,  so  she  wondered  what 
kind  of  birds  these  were,  having  never  seen  a  goose  before, 
except  when  roasted  for  dinner,  though,  indeed,  she  was  a 
sad  goose  herself,  as  will  very  soon  be  told. 

"How  I  should  like  to  exam iiie  those  large,  white,  beau- 
tiful birds,  a  little  nearer,"  thought  Laura  to  herself.  "I 
wonder  if  they  could  swim  or  fly  ! — oh !  how  perfect  they 
would  look,  floating  like  water-lilies  on  the  river,  and  then 
I  might  take  a  bit  of  bread  to  throw  in,  and  they  would  all 
rush  after  it !" 

Laura,  as  usual,  did  not  wait  to  reflect  what  her  grand- 
mama  might  be  likely  to  think ;  indeed  it  is  to  be  feared 
Laura  forgot  at  the  moment  that  she  had  a  grandmama  at 
all,  for  her  mind  was  never  large  enough  to  hold  more  than 
one  thing  at  a  time,  and  now  it  was  entirely  filled  with  the 
flock  of  geese.  She  instantly  set  off  in  pursuit  of  them, 
and  began  chasing  the  whole  party  across  the  park,  making 
all  sorts  of  dreadful  noises,  in  hopes  they  might  fly  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  they  held  up  their  hesgds,  as  if  she  had  been  a 
dancing- master,  and  marched  sloAvly  on,  cackling  loudly  to 
each  other,  and  evidently  getting  extremely  angry. 

Laura  was  now  quite  close  to  her  new  acquaintances,  and 
even  threw  a  pebble  to  hurry  them  forward,  when  suddenly 
an  old  gander  stopped,  and  turned  round  in  a  terrible  rage. 
The  whole  flock  of  geese  then  did  the  same,  after  which 
they  flew  towards  Laura,  with  their  bills  wide  open,  hissing 
furiously,  and  stretching  out  their  long  necks  in  an  angry 
menacing  way,  as  if  they  wished  to  tear  her  in  pieces. 

Poor  Laura  became  frightened  out  of  any  wits  she  ever 
had,  and  ran  off,  with  all  the  geese  after  her  !  Anybody 
must  have  laughed  into  fits,  could  they  have  heard  what  a 
triumphant  cackle  the  geese  set  up,  and  had  they  seen  how 
fast  she  flew  away.     If  Laura  had  borrowed  a  pair  of  wings 

H 


86  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

from  her  pursuers,  she  could  scarcely  have  got  more  quick- 
ly on. 

In  the  hurry  of  escaping,  she  always  looked  hack  to  see 
if  the  enemy  followed,  and  scarcely  observed  which  way  she 
ran  herself,  till  suddenly  her  foot  stumbled  over  a  large  stone, 
and  she  fell  headlong  into  the  river  ! — oh,  what  a  scream 
Laura  gave !  it  terrified  even  the  old  gander  himself,  and 
sent  the  whole  flock  of  geese  marching  off,  nearly  as  fast 
as  they  had  come  ;  but  Laura's  cries  also  reached,  at  a  creat 
distance,  the  cars  of  somebody,  vfho  she  would  have  been 
very  sorry  to  think  had  heard  them. 

Lady  HaiTict,  and  all  her  friends  at  Holiday  House,  were 
taking  a  delightful  walk  under  some  fine  old  fir  trees,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  admiring  the  beautiful  scenery,  while 
Miss  Perceval  was  admiring  nothing  but  her  own  fine  pock- 
et handkerchief,  which  had  cost  ten  guineas,  being  worked 
with  her  name,  trimmed  with  lace,  and  perfumed  with  eau 
de  Cologne;  and  Captain  Digby  was  admiring  his  own 
scarlet  uniform,  reflected  in  the  bright  clear  water,  and  va- 
rying his  employment  occasionally  by  throwing  pebbles  into 
the  stream,  to  see  how  far  they  wo>dd  go.  Suddenly,  how- 
ever, he  stopped,  with  a  look  of  surprise  and  alarm,  saying, 
"  What  noise  can  that  be  ! — a  loud  scream  in  the  water  !" 

"  Oh  dear,  no  !  it  was  only  one  of  those  horrid  peacocks," 
answered  Miss  Perceval,  waving  her  fine  pocket  handker- 
chief "  They  are  the  most  disagreeable,  noisy  creatures 
in  the  world !  If  mama  ever  keeps  one,  I  shall  get  him  a 
singing-master,  or  put  a  muzzle  on  his  mouth  !" 

"  But  surely  there  is  something  splashing  in  the  river  at 
a  great  distance.     Do  you  not  see  that ! — what  can  it  be  ?" 

<'  Nothiuff  nt  all.  depend  upon  it!  I  could  bet  the  value 
of  my  pocket  handkerchief,  ten  guineas,  that  it  is  nothing. 
Officers  who  live  constantly  in  barracks  are  so  unaccustom- 
ed to  the  country,  that  they  seem  to  expect  something  won- 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  87 

derful  shall  happen  every  minute !  That  is  probably  a  salmon 
or  a  minnow." 

"I  am  determined,  however,  to  see.  If  you  are  quite 
sure  this  is  a  salmon,  will  you  promise  to  eat  for  your  din- 
ner whatever  we  find,  provided  I  can  catch  it?" 

*'  Certainly  !  unless  you  catch  a  whale  !  Oh  !  I  have 
dropped  my  pocket  handkerchief, — pray  pick  it  up  !" 

Captain  Digby  did  so  ;  but  without  waiting  to  examine 
the  pattern,  he  instantly  ran  forward,  and  to  his  own  very 
great  astonishment,  saw  Laura  up  to  her  knees  in  the  river, 
trying  to  scramble  out,  while  her  face  was  white  with  terror, 
and  her  limbs  trembled  with  cold,  like  a  poodle  dog  newly 
washed. 

"  Why,  here  you  are  again ! — the  very  same  little  girl  that 
I  caught  in  the  morning,"  cried  he,  laughing  heartily,  while 
he  carefully  pulled  Laura  towards  the  bank,  though,  by  do- 
ing so,  he  splashed  his  beautiful  uniform  most  distressingly. 
"  We  have  had  a  complete  game  at  bo-peep  to-day,  my  friend! 
but  here  comes  a  lady  who  has  promised  to  eat  you  up, 
therefore  I  shall  have  no  more  trouble." 

Laura  would  have  consented  to  be  eaten  up  with  pleasure, 
rather  than  encounter  Lady  Harriet's  eye,  who  really  did 
not  recognize  her  for  the  first  minute,  as  no  one  can  sup- 
pose what  a  figure  she  appeared.  The  last  clean  frock  had 
been  covered  entirely  over  with  mud — her  hair  was  dripping 
with  water — and  her  new  yellow  sash  might  be  any  colour 
in  the  world.  Laura  felt  so  completely  ashamed  she  could 
not  look  up  from  the  ground,  and  so  sorry  she  could  not 
speak,  while  hot  tears  mingled  themselves  with  the  cold  wa- 
ter which  trickled  down  her  face. 

"  What  is  the  matter  !  Who  is  this  ?"  cried  Lady  Harriet, 
hurrying  up  to  the  place  where  they  stood.  "Laura ! !  Im- 
possible ! ! !" 

"  Let  me  put  on  a  pair  of  spectacles,  for  I  cannot  believe 
my  eyes  without  them !"  said  Major  Graham.    "Ah!  sure 


88  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

enough  it   is  Laura,  and  such  a  looking  Laura  as  I  never 
saw  before.      You  must  have  hiul  a  nice  cold  bath !" 

"•I  have  heard,"  continued  l.ady  Harriet,  "that  naiighty 
people  are  often  ducked  in  the  water  as  a  punishment,  and 
in  that  respect  I  am  sure  Laura  deserves  what  she  has  got, 
and  a  great  deal  more." 

"  She  reminds  me,"  observed  Captain  Digby,  "  of  the 
Chinese  bird  which  has  no  legs,  so  it  constantly  flics  about 
from  place  to  place,  never  a  moment  at  rest." 

"Follow  mc,  I^aura,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  "that  I  may 
hear  whether  you  have  anything  to  say  for  yourself  on  this 
occasion.  It  is  scarcely  possible  that  there  can  be  any  ex- 
cuse, but  nobody  should  be  condemned  unheard." 

When  Laura  had  been  put  into  dry  clothes,  she  told  her 
whole  history,  and  entreated  Lady  Harriet  to  hear  how  very 
perfectly  she  had  first  learned  her  task,  before  venturing  to 
stir  out  of  the  room  ;  upon  which  her  grandmama  consented, 
and  amidst  tears  and  sobs,  the  monody  on  Sir  John  Moore 
was  repeated  without  a  single  mist;dic.  Lady  Rockville 
then  came  in,  to  entreat  that,  as  this  was  the  last  day  of  the 
visit  to  Holiday  House,  Laura  might  be  forgiven  and  per- 
mitted to  appear  at  dessert,  as  all  the  company  were  anxious 
to  see  her,  and  particularly  Captain  Digby,  who  regretted 
that  he  had  been  the  means  at  first  of  getting  her  into  a 
scrajjc. 

"  Lideed,  my  dear  Jjady  Rockville  !  I  might  perliaps 
have  agreed  to  your  wishes,"  answered  Lady  Harriet, 
"  particularly  as  Laura  seems  sincerely  sorry,  and  did  not 
premeditate  her  disobedience  ;  but  she  actually  has  not  a 
tolerable  frock  to  appear  in  now  !" 

"I  must  lend  her  one  of  my  velvet  dresses  to  destroy 
next,"  said  Lady  Rockville,  smiling. 

"Uncle  David's  Mackintosh  cloak  wotdd  be  the  fittest 
thing  for  her  to  wear,"  replied  Lady  Harriet,  rising  to  leave 
the  room.     "  Laura,  you  must  learn  a  double  ta-sk  now ! 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK.  89 

Here  it  is !  and  at  Lady  Rockville's  request  I  excuse  you 
this  once  ;  though  I  am  sorry  that,  for  very  sufficient  rea- 
sons, we  cannot  see  you  at  dessert,  which  otherwise  I  should 
have  been  most  happy  to  do." 

Laura  sat  down  and  cried  during  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after 
Lady  Harriet  had  gone  to  dinner.  She  felt  sorry  for  having 
behaved  ill,  and  sorry  to  have  vexed  her  good  grandmama  ; 
and  sorry  not  to  see  all  the  fine  party  at  dessert ;  and  sony 
to  think  that  next  day  she  must  leave  Holiday  House  ;  and 
sorry,  last  of  ail,  to  consider  what  Mrs.  Crabtree  would  say 
when  all  her  ruined  frocks  were  brought  home.  In  short, 
poor  Laura  felt  j>erfectly  overwhelmed  with  the  greatness 
and  variety  of  her  griefs,  and  scarcely  believed  that  any  one 
in  the  world  was  ever  more  miserable  than  herself. 

Her  eyes  were  fixed  on  her  task,  while  her  thoughts  were 
wandering  fifty  miles  away  from  it,  when  a  housemaid,  who 
had  frequently  attended  upon  Laura  during  her  visit,  acci- 
dentally entered  the  room,  and  seemed  much  surprised,  as 
well  as  concerned,  to  find  the  young  lady  in  such  a  way, 
for  her  sobbing  could  be  beard  in  the  next  room.  It  was 
quite  a  relief  to  see  any  one ;  so  Laura  told  over  again  all 
the  sad  adventures  of  the  day,  without  attempting  to  conceal 
how  naughty  she  had  been  ;  and  most  attentively  was  her 
narrative  listened  to,  till  the  very  end. 

"  You  see,  Miss !"  observed  Nelly,  "  when  people 
doesn't  behave  well,  they  must  expect  to  be  punished." 
p  "  So  they  should  !"  sobbed  Laura  ;  "  and  I  dare  say  it 
will  make  me  better !  I  would  not  pass  such  a  miserable 
day  as  this  again,  for  the  world  ;  but  I  deserve  to  he  more 
punished  than  I  am." 

"  That's  right,  Miss  !"  replied  Nelly,  pleased  to  see  the 
good  effect  of  her  admonitions.  "  Punishment  is  as  sure 
to  do  us  good  when  we  are  naughty,  as  physic  when  we 
are  ill.  But  now  you'll  go  down  to  dessert,  and  forget  it 
all." 

h2 


90  THE  LAST  CLEAN  FROCK. 

"  No  !  graiulmama  would  have  allowed  mc,  and  Lady 
Rockvillc  and  every  body  was  so  very  kind  about  inviting 
me  down  ;  but  my  last  clean  frock  is  quite  unlit  to  be  seen, 
80  I  have  none  to  put  on.  Oh,  dear !  what  a  thousand 
million  of  pities  !" 

"  Is  that  all.  Miss  !  Then  dry  your  eyes,  and  I  can  wash 
the  frock  in  ten  minutes.  Give  it  to  me,  and  learn  your 
lesson,  so  as  to  be  ready  when  I  come  back." 

Laura  sprung  off  her  seat  with  joy  at  this  proposal,  and 
ran — or  rather  flew — to  fetch  her  miserable  object  of  a  frock, 
which  Nelly  crumpled  under  her  arm,  and  walked  away 
with,  in  such  haste  that  she  was  evidently  determined  to  re- 
turn  very  soon  ;  while  Laura  took  her  good  advice,  and  sat 
down  to  learn  her  task,  though  she  could  hardly  look  at 
the  book  during  two  minutes  at  a  time — she  watched  so 
impatiently  for  her  benefactress  from  the  laundry. 

At  length  the  door  flew  open,  and  in  walked  Nelly,  whose 
face  looked  as  red  and  hot  as  a  beefsteak  ;  but  in  her  hand 
she  carried  a  basket,  on  which  was  laid  out,  in  great  state, 
the  very  cleanest  frock  that  ever  was  seen  !  It  perfectly 
smelled  of  soap  and  water,  starch  and  hot  irons,  and  seem- 
ed still  almost  smoking  from  the  laundry  ;  while  Laura 
looked  at  it  with  such  delight  and  admiration,  it  might  have 
been  supposed  she  never  saw  a  clean  frock  before. 

"When  Lady  Harriet  was  sitting  after  dinner  that  day, 
sipping  her  wine,  and  thinking  about  nothing  very  particu- 
lar, she  became  surprised  to  feel  somebody  gently  twitching 
her  sleeve  to  attract  notice.  Turning  instantly  round  to 
aaceilain  what  was  the  matter,  and  who  it  could  be,  what 
was  her  astonishment  to  see  Laura  at  her  elbow,  looking 
rather  shy  and  frightened. 

"  How  did  you  get  hire,  child  I"  exclaimed  Lady  Har- 
riet, in  accents  of  amazement,  though  almost  lauL'bing. 
"  Am  I  never  to  see  the  la.<t  of  you  to-day  !     W  here  did  you 


THE  LAST  CLEAN  TROCK.  91 

get  that  frock  !     It  must  have  dropped  from  the   clouds  ! 
Or  did  some  good  fairy  give  you  a  new  one  ?" 

"  That  good  fairy  was  Nelly  the  housemaid,"  whispered 
Laura.  "  She  first  tossed  my  frock  into  a  washing-tub  ; 
and  then  at  the  great  kitchen  fire  she  toasted  it,  and " 

" And  buttered  it,  I  hope,"  added  Major  Gra- 
ham. "  Come  here,  Laura  !  I  can  read  what  is  written 
in  your  grandmama's  face  at  this  moment ;  and  it  says,  'you 
are  a  tiresome  little  puss,  that  nobody  can  keep  in  any  order 
except  uncle  David  ;'  therefore  sit  down  beside  him,  and 
eat  as  many  almonds  and  raisins  as  he  bids  you." 

"  You  are  a  nice,  funny  uncle  David  !"  whispered  Lau- 
ra, crushing  her  way  in  between  his  chair  and  Miss  Perce- 
val's, "  nobody  will  need  a  tongue  now,  if  you  can  read  so 
exactly  what  we  are  all  thinking." 

"  But  here  is  Miss  Perceval,  still  more  wonderful  ;  for 
she  knows  by  the  bumps  on  your  head,  all  that  is  contained 
inside.  Let  me  see  if  I  could  do  so  !  There  is  a  large 
bump  of  reading,  and  a  small  one  of  writing  and  arithme- 
tic. Here  is  a  terrible  organ  of  breaking  dolls  and  destroy- 
ing frocks.  There  is  a  very  small  bump  of  liking  uncle 
David,  and  a  prodigious  one  of  liking  almonds  and  raisins  !" 

"  No  !  you  are  quite  mistaken  !  It  is  the  largest  bump 
for  loving  uncle  David,  and  the  small  one  for  every  thing 
else,"  interrupted  Laura,  eagerly.  "  I  shall  draw  a  map  of 
my  head  some  day,  to  show  you  how  it  is  all  divided." 

"  And  leave  no  room  for  any  tiling  naughty  or  foolish  ! 
Your  head  should  be  swept  out,  and  put  in  order  every 
morning,  that  not  a  single  cobweb  may  remain  in  your 
brains.  V/hat  busy  brains  they  must  be  for  the  next  ten 
years  !  But  in  the  meantime  let  us  hope  that  you  will  never 
again  be  reduced  to  your 

"  LAST    CLEAN    FROCK." 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  LONG  LADDER. 

There  was  a  young  pickle,  and  what  do  you  think  7 
He  liv'd  u|)on  nothing  but  victuals  and  drink  ; 
Victuals  and  drink  were  the  clucf  of  his  diet, 
And  yet  this  young  pickle  could  never  be  quiet. 

One  fine  sultry  day  in  the  month  of  August,  Harry  and 
Laura  stood  at  the  breakfast-room  window,  wondering  to 
see  the  large  broken  white  clouds,  looking  like  curds  and 
whey,  while  the  sun  was  in  such  a  blaze  of  heat,  that  every 
thing  seemed  almost  red  hot.  The  street  door  had  become 
blistered  by  the  sun-beams.  Jowlcr  the  dog  lay  basking  on 
the  pavement  ;  the  green  blinds  were  closed  at  every  oppo- 
site house ;  the  few  gentlemen  who  ventured  out,  were  lim- 
ning themselves  with  their  pocket  handkerchiefs  ;  the  ladies 
were  strolling'  lazily  along,  under  the  umbrageous  shade  of 
their  green  parasols  ;  and  the  poor  people  who  were  accus- 
tomed in  winter  to  .sell  matches  for  lighting  a  fire,  now 
carried  about  gaudy  paper  hangings  for  the  empty  grates. 
Lady  Harriet  found  the  butter  so  melted  at  breakfast,  that 
she  could  scarcely  lift  it  on  her  knife  ;  and  uncle  David 
complained  that  the  sight  of  hot  smoking  tea  put  him  in  a 
fever,  and  said  he  wished  it  could  be  iced. 

<'  I  wonder  how  iced  porridge  would  taste  !"  said  Harr)'. 
«'  I  put  mine  at  the  open  window  to  cool,  but  that  only 
made  it  seem  hotter.     We  were  talking  of  the  gentleman 


THE    LONG    LADDER.  93 

you  mentioned  yesterday,  who  toasted  his  muffins  at  a  vol- 
cano ;  and  certainly  yours  might  almost  be  done  at  the 
drawing-room  window  this  morning." 

"  Wait  till  you  arrive  at  the  countries  I  have  visited, 
where,  as  somebody  remarked,  the  very  salamanders  die  of 
heat.  At  Agra,  which  is  the  hottest  part  of  India,  we  could 
scarcely  write  a  letter,  because  the  ink  dries  in  the  pen  before 
you  can  get  it  to  the  paper.  I  was  obliged,  when  our  regi- 
ment was  there,  to  lie  down  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  during 
several  hours,  actually  gasping  for  breath  ;  and  to  make  up 
for  that,  we  all  rose  at  midnight.  An  officer  of  ours,  who 
lived  long  in  India,  got  up  always  at  three  in  the  morning, 
after  we  returned  home,  and  walked  about  the  streets  of 
Portsmouth,  wondering  what  had  become  of  everybody." 

"  I  shall  try  not  to  grumble  about  weather  any  more,'* 
said  Laura.     "  We  seem  no  worse  off  than  other  people." 

"  Or  rather  we  are  a  great  deal  better  off !  At  Bermu- 
da, where  my  regiment  stopped  on  the  way  to  America,  the 
inhabitants  are  so  tormented  with  high  winds,  that  they 
build  '  hurricane  houses' — low,  flat  rooms,  where  the  fami- 
lies must  retire  when  a  storm  comes  on,  as  trees,  houses, 
people,  and  cattle,  are  all  whirled  about  with  such  violence, 
that  not  a  life  is  safe  on  the  island  while  it  lasts." 

"  That  reminds  me,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  "  of  a  droll 
mistake  made  yesterday  by  the  African  camel,  when  he 
landed  at  Leith.  His  keepers  were  leading  him  along  the 
high  road  to  be  made  a  show  of  in  Edinburgh,  at  a  time 
when  the  wind  was  particularly  high ;  and  the  poor  animal 
encountering  such  clouds  of  dust,  thought  this  must  be  a 
simoon  of  the  desert,  and  threw  himself  flat  down,  burying 
his  nose  in  the  ground,  according  to  custom  on  those  occa- 
sions. It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  he  could  at  last  be 
induced  to  face  the  danger,  and  proceed." 

"  Quite   a  compliment  to    our    dust,"  observed    Laura. 
"  But  really  in  such  a  hot  day,  the  kangaroos  and  tigers 


94  TUE    LONG    LADDER. 

might  feci  perfectly  at  home  here.     Oh  !  how  I  should  like 
to  visit  the  GVological  (jJaidens  in  London  !" 

"  Then  suppose  we  set  otf  immediately  !"  said  Major 
Graham,  pretending  to  rise  from  his  chair.  "  Your  grand- 
mama's  donkey-carriage  holds  two." 

"  Ah  !  but  you  could  carry  the  donkey-carriage  more 
easily  than  it  could  carry  you  !" 

"  Shall  I  try  ?  Well,  if  we  go,  who  is  to  pay  the  turn- 
pikes, for  I  remember  the  time,  not  a  hundred  years  ago, 
when  Harry  and  you  both  thought  that  paying  the  cates  was 
the  only  expense  of  travelling.  You  asked  me  then  how 
poor  grandmama  could  afford  so  many  shillings  and  six- 
pences." 

"  We  know  all  about  every  thing  now  though  !"  said 
Harry,  nodding  in  a  very  sagacious  manner.  "  I  can  tell 
exactly  how  much  time  it  takes  going  by  the  public  coach 
to  London,  and  it  sleeps  only  one  night  on  the  road." 

"  Sleeps !"  cried  uncle  David.  "  What !  it  puts  on  a 
uight-cap,  and  goes  to  bed  ?" 

"  Yes  !  and  it  dines  and  breakfasts  too,  Mr.  uncle  David, 
for  I  heard  Mrs.  Crabtree  say  so." 

"  Never  name  anybody,  unless  you  wish  to  see  her  im- 
mediately," said  Major  Graham,  hearing  a  well-known  tap 
at  the  door.  "As  sure  as  you  mention  an  absent  person,  if 
he  is  supposed  to  be  fifty  miles  off  at  the  time,  it  is  rather 
odd,  but  he  instantly  appears !" 

"  Then  there  is  somebody  that  I  shall  speak  about  very 
often." 

"  Who  can  this  Mr.  Somebody  bo?"  asked  uncle  David, 
smiling.  "A  foolish  person  that  spoils  you  both  I  daresay, 
and  iiives  you  large  slices  of  bread  and  jelly  like  this. 
Hold  them  carefully !  Now,  good  bye,  and  j(»y  be  with 
you." 

But  it  was  with  rather  rueful  faces  that  Harry  and  Laura 
left  the  room,  wishing  they  might  have  remained  another 


THE    LONG    LADDER.  95 

hour  to  talk  nonsense  with  uncle  David,  and  dreading  to 
think  what  new  scrapes  and  difficuUies  they  would  get  into 
in  the  nursery,  which  always  seemed  to  them  a  place  of  tor- 
ture and  imprisonment. 

Major  Graham  used  to  say  that  Mrs.  Crabtree  should  al- 
ways have  a  thermometer  in  her  own  room  when  she 
dressed,  to  tell  her  whether  the  weather  was  hot  or  cold,  for 
she  seemed  to  feel  no  difference,  and  scarcely  ever  made 
any  change  in  her  own  attire,  wearing  always  the  same 
pink  gown  and  scarlet  shawl,  which  made  her  look  like  a 
large  red  flower-pot,  while  she  was  no  more  annoyed  with 
the  heat  than  a  flower-pot  would  have  been.  On  this  very  op- 
pressive morning  she  took  as  much  pains  in  suffocating 
Harry  with  a  silk  handkerchief  round  his  neck,  as  if  it  had 
been  Christmas,  and  though  Laura  begged  hard  for  leave  to 
go  without  one  of  her  half-a-dozen  wrappings,  she  might  as 
well  have  asked  permission  to  go  without  her  head,  as  Mrs. 
Crabtree  seemed  perfectly  deaf  upon  the  subject. 

"  This  day  is  so  very  cold  and  so  very  shivering,"  said 
Harry,  slyly,  "  that  I  suppose  you  will  make  Laura  wear  at 
least  fifty  shawls." 

"Not  above  twenty,"  answered  Mrs.  Crabtree,  dryly. 
"  Give  me  no  more  of  your  nonsense.  Master  Harry ! 
This  is  no  business  of  yours  !  I  was  in  the  world  long  be- 
fore you  were  born,  and  must  know  best ;  so  hold  your 
tongue.     None  but  fools  and  beggars  need  ever  be  cold." 

At  last  Mrs.  Crabtree  had  heaped  as  many  clothes  upon 
her  two  little  victims,  as  she  was  pleased  to  think  necessa- 
ry ;  so  she  sallied  forth  with  them,  followed  by  Betty,  and 
proceeded  towards  the  country,  taking  the  sunny  side  of  the 
road,  and  raising  clouds  of  dust  at  every  step,  till  Harry  and 
Laura  felt  as  if  they  had  been  made  of  wax,  and  were  melt- 
ing away. 

"  Mrs.    Crabtree !"    said   Harry,  "  did   you   hear   uncle 
David's  funny  story  yesterday  1     One  hot  morning  a  gen- 


96  THE    LONG    LADDER. 

(Icnian  was  watching  an  ant's  nest,  when  he  observed,  that 
every  Utile  insect,  as  it  came  out,  plucked  a  small  leaf,  to 
hold  over  its  head,  as  a  parasol  !  1  wiah  wc  could  find 
leaves  large  enough  for  us." 

"  You  must  go  to  the  Botanical  Gardens,  where  one  leaf 
of  a  palm-tree  was  shown  to  grandmama,  which  measured 
fourteen  feet  long,"  observed  Laura.  "  How  horrid  these 
very  warm  countries  must  be,  where  the  heat  is  all  the  year 
round  like  this  !" 

"  You  may  well  say  that,"  answered  Mrs.  Crabtrce.  "  I 
would  not  go  to  them  East  Indies — no  !  not  if  I  were  Go- 
verness-General,— to  be  running  away  with  a  tiger  at  your 
back,  and  sleeping  with  real  live  serpents  twisted  round  the 
bed-post,  and  .scorpions  under  your  pillow !  Catch  me 
there !  I'm  often  quite  sorry  for  Master  Frank,  to  think 
that  his  ship  is  maybe  going  that  way  !  I'm  told  the  very  rats 
have  such  a  smell  in  that  outlandish  place,  that  if  they 
touch  the  outside  of  a  bottle  with  tlicir  tails,  it  tastes  of  musk 
ever  after  ;  and  when  people  are  sitting  comfortably  down, 
expecting  to  enjoy  their  dinner,  a  swarm  of  great  ants  will 
come,  and  fall,  an  inch  thick,  on  all  the  side-dishes.  I've 
no  desire  whatever  to  see  foreign  parts  !" 

"  But  I  wish  to  see  every  country  in  the  universe,"  said 
Harry  ;  "  and  I  hope  there  will  bo  a  rail-road  all  round  the 
world  before  I  am  grown  up.  Only  think,  Mrs.  Crabtrce, 
wliat  fun  lion-hunting  must  be,  and  catching  dolphins,  and 
riding  on  elephants." 

The  pedestrians  had  now  arrived  at  the  pretty  village  of  Cor- 
storphine,  when  they  were  unexpectedly  met  by  Peter  Grey, 
who  joined  thorn  without  waiting  to  ask  leave.  Here  the  hills 
are  so  I)e;uitifully  wooded,  and  the  villas  so  charming,  that 
Harry,  I'ctcr,  and  Laura  stijppcd  a  moment,  to  consider 
what  house  thr-y  would  like  best  to  live  in.  Near  one  side 
of  the  road  stood  a  large  cart  of  hay,  on  the  top  of  which 
were  several  men,  forking  it  in  at  the  window  of  a  high  loft, 


THE    LONG    LADDER.  97 

which  could  only  be  entered  by  a  long  ladder  that  leaned 
against  the  wall.  It  was  a  busy  joyous  scene,  and  soon  at- 
tracted the  children's  whole  attention,  who  were  transfixed 
with  delight,  seeing  how  rapidly  the  people  ran  up  and  down, 
with  their  pitchforks  in  their  hands,  and  tilted  the  hay  from 
the  cart  into  the  loft,  while  they  had  many  jokes  and  much 
laughter  among  themselves.  At  last  their  whole  business 
was  finished,  and  the  workmen  drove  away  for  another  sup- 
ply, to  the  neighbouring  fields,  where  they  had  been  raking 
and  tossing  it  all  morning,  as  merry  as  crickets. 

"  What  happy  people !"  exclaimed  Harry,  looking  wist- 
fully after  the  party,  and  wishing  he  might  have  scrambled 
into  the  cart  beside  them.  "  I  would  be  a  haymaker  for 
nothing,  if  anybody  would  employ  me  ;  would  not  you, 
Peter  r* 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  said  Master  Grey,  "  why  little  ladies 
and  gentlemen  seem  always  obliged  to  endure  a  perfectly 
useless  walk  every  day,  as  you  and  Laura  are  doing  noAV. 
You  never  saw  animals  set  out  to  take  a  stroll  for  the  good 
of  their  healths  !  How  odd  it  would  be  to  see  a  couple  of 
dogs  set  off  for  a  country  walk !" 

"  Miss  Laura  !"  said  Mrs.  Crabtree,  "  Master  Harry  may 
rest  here  for  a  minute  or  two  with  Master  Peter,  and  let 
them  count  their  fingers,  while  you  come  with  Betty  and 
me  to  visit  a  sick  old  aunt  of  mine  who  lives  round  the  cor- 
ner ;  but  be  sure,  boys,  you  do  not  presume  to  wander  about, 
or  I  shall  punish  you  most  severely.  We  are  coming  back 
in  two  minutes." 

Mrs.  Crabtree  had  scarcely  disappeared  into  a  small  shab- 
by-looking cottage,  before  Peter  turned  eagerly  to  Harry, 
with  a  face  of  great  joy  and  importance,  exclaiming,  "  Only 
see  how  very  lucky  this  is !  The  haymakers  have  left  their 
long  ladder,  standing  on  purpose  for  us  !  The  window  of 
that  loft  is  wide  open,  and  I  must  climb  up  immediately  to 


98  THE    LONG    LADDER. 

peep  in,  because  never,  in  all  my  life,  did  I  see  the  inside 
of  a  hay-loft  before  1" 

"JNorl!"  added  Harry.  "Uncle  David  says,  that  all 
round  the  floor  there  are  deep  holes,  called  mangers,  down 
which  food  is  thrown  for  the  horses,  so  that  they  can  thrust 
their  heads  in,  to  take  a  bite,  whenever  they  choose." 

"  How  I  shuLild  hate  to  have  my  dinner  hung  up  always 
before  my  nose  in  that  way  !  Suppose  the  kitchen  were  plac- 
ed above  your  nursery,  and  that  Mrs.  Marmalade  showered 
down  tarts  and  puddings,  which  wore  to  remain  there  till 
you  ate  them,  you  would  hate  the  sight  of  such  things  at  last. 
But  now,  Harry,  for  the  hay-loft." 

Peter  scrambled  so  rapidly  up  the  ladder,  that  he  soon 
reached  the  top,  and  instantly  vanished  in  at  the  window, 
calling  eiigerly  for  Harry  to  follow.  "You  never  saw  such 
a  nice,  clean,  funny  place  as  this,  in  all  your  life! — make 
luiste  ! — come  faster  ! — never  mind  crushing  your  hat  or 
tearing  your  jacket, — I'll  put  it  all  to  rights.  Ah  !  there  ! — 
that's  the  thing  ! — walk  up,  gentlemen  !  walk  up  ! — the  grand 
show  ! — sixpence  each,  and  children  half-price  !" 

All  this  time,  Harry  was  slowly,  and  with  great  difTiculty, 
picking  his  steps  up  the  ladder,  but  a  most  troublesome  bu- 
siness it  was  !  First,  his  foot  became  entangled  in  a  rope, 
— then  his  hat  got  squeezed  so  out  of  shape,  it  looked  per- 
fectly tipsy, — next,  one  of  his  shoes  nearly  came  off", — and 
afterwards  he  dropped  his  gloves  ;  but  at  last  he  stumbled  up 
in  safety,  and  stood  beside  Peter  in  the  loft,  both  laughing 
M-ith  delight  at  their  own  enterprize. 

The  quantity  of  hay  piled  up  on  all  sides,  astonished  them 
greatly,  while  the  nice  wide  floor  between,  seemed  larger 
tlian  any  (Irawiiig-room,  and  was  certainly  made  on  purpose 
for  a  romp.  Harry  rolled  up  a  large  ball  of  hay  to  throw  at 
Peter,  while  he,  in  return,  aimed  at  him,  so  they  ran  after 
each  other,  round  and  round  the  loft,  raising  such  a  riot, 
that  tlie  very  "  rafters  diried." 


THE    LONG    LADDER.  99 

The  hay  now  flew  about  in  clouds,  while  they  jumped 
over  it,  or  crept  under  it,  throwing  handfuls  about  in  every 
direction,  and  observing  that  this  was  the  best  play-room 
they  had  ever  been  in. 

"  How  lucky  that  we  came  here  !"  cried  Peter.  "  I 
should  like  to  stay  an  hour  at  least !" 

"  Oh  I  two  hours, —  or  three, — or  all  day,"  added  Harry. 
*' But  what  shall  we  do  about  Mrs.  Crabtree?  She  has  not 
gone  to  settle  for  life  with  that  old  sick  aunt,  so  I  am  afraid 
we  must  really  be  hurrying  back,  in  case  she  may  find  out 
our  expedition,  and  that,  you  know,  Peter,  would  be  dread- 
ful !" 

"  Only  fancy,  Harry,  if  she  sees  you  and  me  clinging  to 
the  ladder,  about  half  way  down  !  what  a  way  she  would  be 
in!" 

"  We  had  better  make  haste,"  said  Harry,  looking  around. 
"What  would  gran  dm  am  a  say ! — I  wish  we  had  never  come 
up  !" 

At  this  moment,  Harry  was  still  more  brought  to  his 
senses,  by  hearing  Mrs.  Crabtree's  voice,  exclaiming,  in 
loud  angry  accents,  "  Where  in  all  the  world  can  those 
troublesome  boys  be  gone  !  I  must  tether  them  to  a  tree 
the  next  time  they  are  left  together !  Why !  sure  !  they 
would  not  venture  up  that  long  ladder  in  the  hay-loft !  If 
they  have,  they  had  better  never  come  down  again,  for  I 
shall  shew  who  is  master  here." 

"  Peter  Grey  would  run  up  a  ladder  to  the  stars,  if  he 
could  find  one,"  replied  Betty.  "  Here  are  Master  Harry's 
gloves  lying  at  the  bottom  of  it.  They  can  be  gone  no- 
where else,  for  I  have  searched  every  other  place.  We 
must  send  the  town-crier  with  his  bell  after  them,  if  they 
are  not  found  up  there  I" 

Mrs.  Crabtree  now  seemed  fearfully  angry,  while  Laura 
began  to  tremble  with  fright  for  Harry,  who  was  listening 
overheadj  and  did  not  know  very  well  what  to  do,  but  fool- 


100  THE    LONG    LADDEK. 

ishly  thought  it  best  to  put  off  the  evil  hour  of  being  pun- 
ished as  long  as  possible  ;  so  he  and  Peter  silently  crept  in 
below  a  great  quantity  of  hay,  and  hid  themselves  so  cun- 
ningly, that  even  a  thief-catcher  could  scarcely  have  dis- 
covered their  den.  In  this  dark  corner,  Harry  had  time  to 
reflect  and  to  feel  more  and  more  alarmed  and  sorry  for  his 
misconduct,  so  he  said,  in  a  very  distressed  voice,  "  Oh, 
Peter  !  what  a  pity  it  is  ever  to  be  naughty,  for  we  are  al- 
ways found  out,  and  always  so  much  happier  when  we  are 
good  !" 

"  I  wonder  how  Mrs.  (.'rabtrce  will  get  up  the  long  lad- 
der ]"  whispered  Peter,  laughing.  "I  would  give  my  lit- 
tle finger,  and  one  of  my  ears,  to  see  her  and  i3etty  scram- 
bling along  !" 

Harry  had  to  pinch  Peter's  arm  almost  black  and  blue 
before  he  would  be  quiet ;  and  by  the  time  he  stopped  talk- 
ing, Mrs.  Ciabtree  and  Betty  were  both  standing  in  the 
hay-loft,  exceedingly  out  of  breath  with  climbing  so  un- 
usually high,  while  Mrs.  Crabtrce  very  nearly  fell,  having 
stumbled  over  a  step  at  the  entrance. 

"  Why,  sure !  there's  nobody  here !"  exclaimed  she,  in  a 
disappointed  tone.  "And  what  a  disorderly  place  this  is! 
I  thought  a  hay-loft  was  always  kept  in  such  nice  order,  with 
the  floor  all  swept  I  but  here  is  a  tine  mess  !  Those  two  great 
lumps  of  hay  in  the  corner  look  as  if  they  were  meant  for 
people  to  sleep  upon  !" 

Harry  gave  himself  up  for  lost  when  Mrs.  Crabtrce  no- 
ticed the  place  where  he  and  Peter  had  buried  themselves 
alive  ;  but  to  his  great  relief,  no  suspicion  seemed  to  have 
been  excited,  and  neither  of  the  two  searchers  were  anxious 
to  venture  beyond  the  door,  alter  having  so  nearly  tripped 
upon  the  threshold. 

"  They  must  have  been  stolen  by  a  g'pscy?  or  perhaps 
fallen  into  a  well,"  said  IJetty,  who  rather  liked  the  bustle  of 
uu  accident.     "  I  always  thought  Master  Peter  would  break 


THE    LONG    LADDER.  101 

his  neck,  or  something  of  that  kind.     Poor  thing  !  how  dis- 
tressed his  papa  will  be  !" 

«  Hold  your  tongue,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Crabtree,  angrily. 
"I  wish  people  would  either  speak  sense,  or  not  speak  at 
all !     Did  you  hear  a  noise  among  the  hay?" 

«  Rats,  I  dare  say  !  or  perhaps  a  dog !"  answered  Betty, 
turning  hastily  round,  and  hurrying  down  the  ladder  faster 
than  she  had  come  up.  "  I  certainly  thought  something 
moved  in  yon  far  corner." 

"  Where  can  that  little  shrimp  of  a  boy  be  hid  ?"  added 
Mrs.  Crabtree,  following.  "  He  must  have  obedience 
knocked  like  a  nail  into  his  head,  with  a  few  good  severe 
blows.  I  shall  beat  him  to  powder  when  once  we  catch 
him." 

"  You  may  depend  upon  it,"  persisted  Betty,  "  that  some 
gipsey  has  got  the  boys  for  the  sake  of  their  clothes.  It 
will  be  a  great  pity,  because  Master  Harry  had  on  his  best 
bluejacket  and  trowsers." 

No  sooner  was  the  loft  cleared  of  these  unwelcome  visit- 
ors, than  Harry  and  Peter  began  to  recover  from  their 
panic,  and  jumped  out  of  the  hay,  shaking  themselves  free 
from  it,  and  skipping  about  in  greater  glee  than  ever. 

While  they  played  about,  as  they  had  done  before,   and 
tumbled  as    if  they  had  been  tumblers  at  Ducrow's,  poor 
Harry  got  into  such  spirits,  that  he  completely  forgot  about 
the  deep  holes  called   mangers,  for  containing  the  horse's 
food,  till  all  at  once,  when  Peter  was  running  after  him,  he 
fell,  with  a   loud  crash,   headlong  into  one  of  them !  Oh! 
what  a  scream  he  gave ! — it  echoed  through  the  stable,  ter- 
rifying a  whole  team  of  horses  that  were  feeding  there,  more 
particularly  the  one  into  whose  manger  he  had  fallen.     The 
horse  gave  a  tremendous  start  when  Harry  plunged   down 
close  to  his  nose,  and  not  being  able  to  run  away,  he  put 
back  his  ears,  opened  his  mouth,  and  kicked  and  struggled 
in  the  most  frightful  manner,  while  Harry,  who  could  not 

i  2 


lOa  THE    LONG    LADDER. 

make  his  escape  any  more  than   the  horse,  shouted  louder 
and  louder  lor  help. 

Peter  did  all  he  could  to  assist  Harry  in  this  extraordinary 
predicament,  but  finding  it  impossible  to  be  of  any  use,  he 
forcot  their  terror  of  Mrs.  Crabtree  in  his  fears  about  Harry, 
and  rushed  to  the  window,  calling  back  their  two  pursuers, 
who  were  walking  away  at  a  great  distance.  He  screamed 
and  hoUooed,  and  waved  his  handkerchief,  without  ceasing, 
till  at  lust  Mrs.  Crabtree  heard  him,  and  turned  round,  but 
never  was  anybody  more  astonished  then  she  was,  on  seeing 
him  there,  so  she  scolded,  stormed,  and  raged,  up  to  the 
very  foot  of  the  ladder. 

"  Now,  you  are  the  besiegers,  and  I  am  the  garrison !" 
cried  Peter,  when  he  saw  Mrs.  Crabtree  panting  and  toil- 
ing in  her  ascent.  "  We  must  make  a  treaty  of  peace  to- 
gether, for  I  could  tumble  you  over  in  a  minute,  by  merely 
pushing  this  end  a  very  little  more  to  one  side  !" 

"  Do  not  touch  it,  Master  Peter  !"  cried  Mrs.  Crabtree, 
almost  afraid  he  was  iu  earnest.  "•  There  is  a  good  boy, — 
be  quiet!" 

"  A  good  boy  !  !"  whispered  Peter  to  himself.  "What  a 
fright  Mrs.  Crabtree  must  be  in,  before  she  said  that  !" 

The  next  moment  Mrs.  Crabtree  snatched  Harry  out  of 
the  manger,  and  shook  him  with  rage.  She  then  scolded 
and  beat  him,  till  he  was  perfectly  stupified  with  fright  and 
misery,  after  which  the  whole  party  were  allowed  to  proceed 
towards  home,  while  Harry  stumbled  along  the  road,  and 
hung  down  his  head,  wishing,  fifty  times  over,  tliat  he  and 
Peter  Grey  had  never  gone  up 

THE    LONG    LADDER. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  MAD  BULL. 

There's  something  in  a  noble  boy, 
A  brave,  free-hearted,  careless  one; 
With  his  uncheck'd,  unbidden  joy, 
His  dread  of  books  and  love  of  fun. 
And  in  his  clear  and  ready  smile. 
Unshaded  by  a  thought  of  guile 
And  unrepress'd  by  sadness, — 
Which  brings  me  to  my  childhood  back, 
As  if  I  trod  its  very  track, 
And  felt  its  very  gladness. 


Willis, 


One  evening,  ^\'hen  Harry  and  Laura  came  down  to  dessert, 
they  were  surprised  to  observe  the  two  little  plates  usually 
intended  for  them,  turned  upside  down,  while  uncle  David 
pretended  not  to  notice  anything,  though  he  stole  a  glance 
to  see  what  would  happen  next.  On  lifting  up  these  mys- 
terious plates,  what  did  they  see  lying  underneath,  but  two 
letters  with  large  red  seals,  one  directed  to  "  Master  Harry 
Graham,"  and  the  other  to  "  Miss  Laura  Graham." 

"  A  letter  for  me ! !"  cried  Harry,  in  a  tone  of  delighted 
astonishment,  while  he  tore  open  the  seal,  and  his  hand 
shook  with  impatience,  so  that  he  could  hardly  unfold  the 
paper.  "What  can  it  be  about !  I  like  getting  a  letter  very 
much  !  Is  it  from  papa?  Did  the  postman  bring  it  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  did,"  said  uncle  David  :  "  and  he  left  a  message 
that  you  must  pay  a  hundred  pounds  for  it  to-morrow." 


104  THE  MAD  nui.r,. 

"Very  likely,  indeed,"  said  Laura  ;  "  you  should  pay  that 
for  telling  me  such  a  fine  story  ;  but  my  letter  is  worth  more 
than  a  hundred  pounds,  for  it  is  inviting  me  to  spend  an- 
other delightful  week  at  Holiday  House." 

«  I  am  asked  too  !  and  not  Mrs.  Crabtree  !"  cried  Harry, 
looking  at  his  letter,  and  almost  screaming  out  for  joy, 
whilst  he  skipped  about  the  room,  rubbing  his  hands  to- 
gether, and  ended  by  twirling  Laura  round  and  round,  till 
they  both  fell  prostrate  on  the  floor. 

"  If  that  be  meant  as  a  specimen  of  how  you  intend  to 
behave  at  Holiday  House,  we  had  better  send  your  apology 
at  once,"  observed  Lady  Harriet,  smiling.  <'  Lord  Rock- 
ville  is  very  j)articu]ar  about  never  hearing  any  noise,  and 
the  slamming  of  a  door,  or  even  the  creaking  of  a  pair  of 
unruly  shoes,  would  put  him  distracted." 

"  Yes  !"  added  uncle  David,  "  Holiday  House  is  as  quiet 
as  Harry's  drum  with  a  hole  in  it.  If  a  pin  drops  in  any 
part  of  the  mansion,  Lord  Rockville  becomes  annoyed,  and 
the  very  wasps  scarcely  dare  to  buz  at  his  window  so  loud 
as  at  any  other  person's.  You  will  feel  quite  iish-out-of- 
water-ish,  trying  to  be  quiet  and  hum-drum  for  a  whole 
week,  so  let  me  advi.se  you  not  to  go." 

"The  meaning  of  advice  always  is  something  that  one 
would  rather  wish  not  to  do,"  observed  Laura,  gravely.  "  I 
never  in  my  life  was  advised  to  enjoy  anything  pleasant! 
Taking  physic — or  learning  lessons — or  staying  at  home, 
are  very  often  advised,  but  never  playing — or  having  a  holi- 
day— or  amusing  ourselves  !" 

"You  know,  Laura!  that  Harry's  little  Shttland  pony, 
Tom  Thumb,  in  my  field,  is  of  no  use  at  present,  but  kicks, 
and  capers,  and  runs  about  all  day  ;  yet  presently  he  will  be 
led  out  fa-stened  to  a  rope,  and  made  to  trot  round  and  round 
in  a  circle,  day  after  day,  till  he  has  no  longer  a  will  of  his 
own, — that  is  education.  AHfrwards  he  shall  have  a  bridle 
put  in  his  mouth,  which  some  little  girls  would  be  much  the 


THE    MAD    BULL.  105 

better  of  also,  when  he  shall  be  carefully  guided  ever  after- 
wards in  the  best  ways  ;  and  you  likewise  will  go  much  more 
steadily  for  all  the  reiniug-in  and  whipping  you  have  got 
from  Mrs.  Crabtree  and  me,  which  may,  perhaps,  make 
you  keep  in  the  road  of  duty  more  easily  hereafter." 

"  Uncle  David !"  said  Harry,  laughing,  "  we  have  read 
in  the  Arabian  Nights,  about  people  being  turned  into  ani- 
mals, but  I  never  thought  you  would  turn  Laura  into  a 
horse  !  What  shall  we  do  with  my  little  Shetland  pony  if  I 
go  away  next  week  ?" 

"I  have  thought  of  a  capital  plan  for  maliingTom  Thumb 
useful  during  the  whole  winter !  Your  grandmama  wants  a 
watch-dog  in  the  country,  so  we  shall  build  him  a  kennel 
— put  a  chain  round  his  neck,  and  get  some  one  to  teach 
him  to  bark." 

"  Uncle  David  should  be  Professor  of  Nonsense  at  the 
University,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  smiling.  "But,  my  dear 
children,  if  you  are  allowed  to  pay  this  visit  at  Holiday 
House,  I  hope  you  will  endeavour  to  behave  creditably  ?" 

"  Yes,"  added  Major  Graham,  "I  understand  that  Lord 
Rockville  wished  to  have  some  particularly  quiet  children 
there,  for  a  short  time,  so  he  fixed  upon  Harry  and  Laura ! 
Poor,  mistaken  Lord  Rockville  !  But,  my  good  friends, 
try  not  to  break  all  his  china  ornaments  the  first  day — spare 
a  few  jars  and  tea-cups — leave  a  pane  of  glass  or  two  in 
the  windows,  and  throw  none  of  your  marbles  at  the  mir- 
rors." 

"I  remember  hearing,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  "that  when 
Miss  Pelham  was  married  last  year,  her  old  aunt,  Mrs.  Bou- 
verie,  sent  for  her  and  said,  that  as  she  could  not  afford  to 
give  baubles  or  trinkets,  she  would  give  her  a  very  valuable 
piece  of  advice  ;  and  what  do  you  think  it  was,  Laura  ?" 

"I  have  no  idea  !     Do  tell  me." 

"  Then  I  shall  bestow  it  on  you,  as  the  old  lady  did  on 


106  THE    MAD    BULL. 

/ 

her  niece — <  Be  careful  of  china,  paper  and  string,  for  thejr 
are  all  very  transitory  possessions  in  this  world  I'" 

"  Very  true!  and  most  judicious  !"  observed  Major  Gra- 
ham, laughing.  "  I  certainly  know  several  persons  who 
must  have  served  an  apprenticeship  under  that  good  lady. 
Many  gentlemen  now,  who  despatch  all  their  epistles  from 
the  club,  because  there  the  paper  costs  them  nothing,  and  a 
number  of  ladies,  who,  for  the  same  good  reason,  never 
write  letters  till  they  are  visiting  in  a  country  house." 

Having  received  so  many  warnings  and  injunctions 
about  behaving  well,  Harry  and  1-aura  became  so  quiet 
during  the  first  few  days  at  Holiday  House,  that  they  were 
like  shadows  flitting  through  the  rooms,  going  almost  on 
tiptoe,  scarcely  speaking  above  a  whisper,  and  observing  that 
valuable  rule  for  children,  to  let-themselvcs  be  seen,  but  not 
heard.  Lord  Rockville  was  quite  charmed  with  stjch  ex- 
treme good  conduct,  for  they  were  both  in  especial  fiwe  of 
him,  and  thought  it  a  great  condescension  if  he  even  looked 
at  them,  he  was  so  tall,  so  grand,  and  so  grave,  wearing  a 
large  powdered  wig  and  silver  spectacles,  which  gave  him  a 
particularly  venerable  appearance,  though  Harry  was  one 
day  very  near  getting  into  disgrace  upon  that  subject.  His 
Lordship  had  a  habit  of  always  carrying  two  pairs  of  spec- 
tacles in  his  pocket,  and  often,  after  thrusting  one  pair 
high  on  his  forehead,  he  forgot  where  tliey  were,  and 
])ut  the  others  on  his  nose,  which  had  such  a  droll  appearance, 
that  the  first  time  Harry  saw  it,  he  felt  quite  taken  by  sur- 
prise, and  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter,  upon  which  Lord 
Rockville  gave  him  such  a  comical  look  of  surprise  and  per- 
plexity, that  Harry's  fit  of  laughing  got  worse  and  worse. 
The  more  people  know  they  are  wrong,  and  try  to  stop,  the 
more  convulsive  it  becomes,  and  the  more  dillicult  to  look 
grave  again,  so  at  last,  after  repeated  eflorts  to  appear  se- 
rious and  composed,  Harry  started  up,  and  in  his   hurry   to 


'    THE    MAD    BULL.  107 

escape,  very  nearly  slammed  the  door  behind  him,  which 
would  have  given  the  last  finish  to  his  offences. 

Both  the  little  visitors  found  Lady  Rockville  so  extreme- 
ly indulgent  and  kind,  that  she  seemed  like  another  grand- 
mama,  therefore  they  gradually  ventured  to  talk  some  of 
their  own  nonsense  before  her,  and  even  to  try  some  of 
their  old  ways,  and  frolicsome  tricks,  which  she  seldom 
found  any  fault  with,  except  when  Harry  one  day   eloped 
with  Lord  Rockville's  favourite  walking-stick,  to  be  used  as 
a  fishing-rod  among  the  minnows,  with  a  long  thread  at  the 
end  for  a  line,  and  a  crooked  pin  to  represent  the  hook, 
while,  on  the  same  day,  Laura  privately  mounted  the  ass 
that  gave  Lord  Rockville's  ass's  milk,  and  rode  it  all  round 
the  park,  while  he  sat  at  home  expecting  his  usual  refreshing 
tumbler.     Still  they  both  passed  muster  for  being  very  tole- 
rable children,  and  his  Lordship  was  heard  once  to  say,  in  a 
voice  of  great  approbation,  that  Master  and  Miss  Graham 
were  so  punctual  at  dinner,  and  so  perfectly  quiet,  he  really 
often  forgot  they  were  in  the  house.     Indeed,  Harry's  com- 
plaisance on  the  day  after  he  had  laughed  so  injudiciously 
about  the  spectacles,  was  quite  unheard  of,  as  he  felt  anx- 
ious to  make  up  for  his  misconduct ;  and  when  Lord  Rock- 
ville asked  if  he  would  like  a  fire  in  the  play-room,  as  the 
evening  was   chilly,  he  answered  very  politely,    "  Thank 
you,  my  Lord  !     We  are  ready  to  think  it  hot  or  cold,  just 
as  you  please  !" 

All  this  was  too  good  to  last !  One  morning,  when 
Harry  and  Laura  looked  out  of  the  window,  it  was  a  most 
deplorably  wet  day.  The  whole  sky  looked  like  a  large 
grey  cotton  umbrella,  and  the  clouds  were  so  low  that  Harry 
thought  he  could  almost  have  touched  them.  In  short,  as 
Lord  Rockville  remarked,  "  it  rained  cats  and  dogs,"  so  his 
Lordship  knitted  his  brows,  and  thrust  his  hands  into  his 
waistcoat  pockets,  walking  up  and  down  the  room  in  a  per- 
fect fume   of  vexation,  for  he  was  so  accustomed  to  be 


108  THE  MAD  nur.L» 

obeyed,  that  it  seemed  rather  a  hardship  when  even  the 
weather  contradicted  his  wishes.  To  complete  hia  vex- 
ation, as  "single  misfortunes  never  come  alone,"  his  valet, 
when  carelessly  drying  the  Morning  Post  at  a  large  kitchen 
fire,  had  set  it  in  flames,  so  that  all  the  wonderful  news  it 
contained  became  reduced  to  ashes,  therefore  Lord  Rock- 
ville  might  well  have  given  notice,  that,  for  this  day  at  least, 
he  had  a  right  to  be  in  extremely  bad  humour. 

Lady  Rockville  privately  recommended  Harry  and  Laura 
to  sit  quietly  down  and  play  at  cat's  cradle,  which  accord- 
ingly they  did,  and  when  thai  became  no  longer  endurable, 
some  dominos  were  produced.  Thus  the  morning  wore  te- 
diously away  till  about  two  o'clock,  when  suddenly  the  rain 
stopped,  the  sun  burst  forth  with  prodigious  splendour,  every 
loaf  in  the  park  glittered,  as  if  it  had  been  sprinkled  with 
diamonds,  and  a  hundred  birds  seemed  singing  a  chorus  of 
joy,  while  bees  and  butterflies  fluttered  at  the  windows  and 
flew  away  rejoicing. 

Harry  was  the  first  to  observe  this  delightful  change,  and 
with  an  exclamation  of  delight,  he  sprang  from  his  seat, 
pulled  Laura  from  hers,  upset  the  domino-table,  and  rushed 
out  of  the  room,  slamming  tlie  door  with  a  report  like  twen- 
ty cannons.  Away  they  both  flew  to  the  forest,  Laura 
swinging  her  bonnet  in  her  hand,  and  Harry  tossing  iis 
cap  in  the  air,  while  Lord  Rockville  watched  them  angrily 
from  the  drawing-room  window,  paying,  in  a  tone  of  ex- 
treme displeasure,  "  That  boy  ha.?  a  voice  that  might  do  for 
the  town-crier  !  He  laughs  so  loud,  it  is  enough  to  crack 
every  glass  in  the  room  !  I  wish  he  were  condemned  to 
pass  a  week  in  those  American  prisons  where  no  one  ia 
allowed  to  speak.  Li  short,  he  would  be  better  anywhere 
than  here,  for  I  mijirlu  as  well  live  with  a  hainmrr  and  tonjrs 
as  with  the  t\V(j  children  together.  They  are  more  restless 
than  the  quicksilver  figures  from  China,  and  I  wish  they 
were  as  quiet,  but  my  only  comfort  is,  that  at  any  rate  they 


THE    MAD    BULL.  109 

come  home  punctually  to  dinner  at  five.  Nothing  is  so  in- 
tolerable as  people  dropping  in  too  late  and  disordering  the 
table." 

Meantime,  the  woods  at  Holiday  House  rung  with  sounds 
of  mirth  and  gaiety,  while  Harry  scrambled  up  the  trees  like 
a  squirrel,  and  swung  upon  the  branches,  gathering  walnuts 
and  crab-apples  for  Laura,  after  which  they  both  cut  their 
names  upon  the  bark  of  Lord  Rockville's  favourite  beech, 
so  that  every  person  who  passed  that  way  must  observe 
the  large  distinct  letters.  They  were  laughing  and  chatting 
over  this  exploit,  both  talking  at  once,  as  noisy  and  happy  as 
possible,  and  expecting  nothing  particular  to  happen,  when, 
all  on  a  sudden,  Laura  turned  pale,  and  grasped  hold  of 
Harry's  arm,  saying,  in  a  low  frightened  voice, 

"  Hush,  Harry ! — hush  ! — I  hear  a  very  strange  noise. 
It  sounds  like  some  wild  beast!     What  can  that  be?" 

Harry  listened  as  if  he  had  ten  pair  of  ears,  and  nearly 
cracked  his  eye-balls  staring  round  him,  to  see  what  could 
be  the  matter.  A  curious  deep  growling  sound  might  be 
heard  at  some  distance,  while  there  was  the  noise  of  some- 
thing trampling  heavily  on  the  ground,  and  of  branches 
breaking  off  the  trees,  as  if  some  large  creature  was  forciniT 
his  way  through.  Harry  and  Laura  now  stood  like  a  cou- 
ple of  little  statues,  not  daring  to  breathe,  they  felt  so  terri- 
fied! The  noise  grew  louder  and  louder,  while  it  gradually 
came  nearer  and  nearer,  till  at  length  a  large  black  bull 
burst  into  view,  with  his  tail  standing  high  in  the  air,  while 
he  tore  up  the  ground  with  his  horns,  bellowing  as  loudly 
as  he  could  roar,  and  galloping  straight  towards  the  place 
where  they  stood. 

Laura's  knees  tottered  under  her,  and  she  instantly  drop- 
ped on  the  ground  with  terror,  feeling  as  if  she  would  die 
the  next  minute  of  fright,  while,  as  for  attempting  to  es- 
cape, it  never  entered  her  head  to  think  that  possible.  Har- 
ry felt  quite  differently,  for  he   was  a  bold  boy,  not  easily 

K 


110  THE    MAD    BULL. 

scared  out  of  his  senses,  and  instantly  saw  that  something 
must  be  done,  or  they  would  both  be  lost.  Many  selfish 
people  would  have  run  away  alone,  without  caring  for  the 
safety  ot'  any  one  but  themselves,  which  was  not  at  all  the 
case  with  Harry,  who  thought  first  of  his  poor  frightened 
companion.  "Hollo,  Laura!  arc  you  hiding  in  a  cart 
rut  ?"  he  exclaimed,  pulling  her  hastily  off  the  ground.  "  The 
bull  will  soon  find  you  there  !  Come !  come !  as  fast  as 
possible  !  we  must  have  a  race  for  it  yet !  That  terrible 
beast  can  scarcely  make  his  way  through  the  trees  and 
branches,  they  grow  so  closely  !  Perhaps  we  may  get  on 
as  fust  as  he  !" 

All  this  time,  Ilarry  was  dragging  Laura  along,  and  run- 
ning himself  into  the  tliickest  part  of  the  plantation  ;  but  it 
was  very  difficult  to  maktj  any  progress,  as  she  had  become 
quite  faint  and  bewildered  with  fright. 

"  Oh,  Harry  I"  cried  she,  trembling  all  over,  "you  must 
get  on  alone !  I  am  so  weak  with  terror,  it  is  impossible  to 
run  a  step  further." 

<'  Do  not  waste  your  breath  with  talking,"  answered 
Harry,  still  pushing  on  at  full  speed.  "  How  can  you  sup- 
pose I  would  be  so  shabby  as  to  make  my  escape  without 
you !  No  !  no  !  we  must  either  both  be  caught,  or  both 
get  off !" 

Laura  felt  so  grateful  to  Harry  when  he  said  this,  that  she 
seemed  for  a  moment  almost  to  forget  the  bull,  which  was 
still  coming  furiously  on  behind,  while  she  now  made  a 
desperate  exertion  to  run  faster  than  she  had  been  able  to 
do  before,  clearing  the  ground  almost  as  rapidly  as  Harry 
could  have  done,  though  he  still  held  her  firmly  by  the  hand, 
to  encourage  her. 

The  trani|»liiig  noise  continued,  the  brraking  of  branches, 
and  the  frii;lillul  bdlowiiiir  of  tliis  dreadful  animal,  when  at 
last  Harry  caught  sight  of  a  wooden  paling,  which  he  si- 
lently pointed   out   lo    Laura,  being  cjuite    unable   now  to 


THE    MAD    BULL.  Ill 

speak.  Having  rushed  forward  to  it,  with  almost  frantic 
haste,  Harry  threw  himself  over  the  top,  after  which  he 
helped  Laura  to  squeeze  herself  through  underneath,  when 
they  proceeded  rather  more  leisurely  onwards. 

"That  fence  will  puzzle  Mr.  Bull,"  said  Harry  trium- 
phantly, yet  gasping  for  breath.  "We  can  push  through 
places  where  his  great  hoof  could  scarcely  be  thrust !  I  saw 
him  coming  along,  witli  his  heels  high  in  the  air,  and  his 
head  down,  like  an  enormous  wheel-barrow." 

Scarcely  had  Harry  spoken,  before  the  infuriated  animal 
advanced  at  full  gallop  towards  the  fence,  and  after  running 
along  the  side  a  little  way,  he  suddenly  tore  up  the  paling 
with  his  horns,  as  if  it  had  been  made  of  paper,  and  rushed 
forward  more  rapidly  than  ever. 

Harry  now  began  to  fear  that  indeed  all  was  over,  for  his 
strength  had  become  nearly  exhausted,  when,  to  his  great 
joy,  he  espied  a  large,  rough  stone  wall,  not  very  far  off, 
which  was  as  welcome  a  sight  as  land  to  a  shipwrecked 
sailor. 

"Run  for  your  life,  Laura!"  he  cried,  pointing  it  out, 
to  encourage  her.     "  There  is  safety,  if  we  reach  it." 

On  they  both  flew,  faster  than  the  wind,  and  Harry  hav- 
ing scrambled  up  the  wall,  like  a  grasshopper,  pulled  Laura 
up  beside  him,  and  there  they  both  stood  at  last,  encamped 
quite  beyond  the  reach  of  danger,  though  the  enemy  arrived 
a  few  minutes  afterwards,  pawing  the  air,  and  foaming  and 
bellowing  with  disappointment. 

"  Laura !"  said  Harry,  after  she  had  a  little  recovered 
from  her  fright,  and  was  walking  slowly  homewards,  while 
she  cast  an  alarmed  glance  frequently  behind,  thinkinor  she 
still  heard  the  bull  in  pursuit,  "you  see,  as  uncle  David 
says,  whatever  danger  people  are  in,  it  is  foolish  to  be  quite 
in  despair,  but  we  should  rather  think  what  it  is  best  to  do, 
and  do  it  directly." 

"  Yes,  Harry !  and  I  shall  never  forget  that  you  would 


112  THE    MAD    RUI.L. 

not  forsake  me,  but  risked  your  own  life,  like  a  brave  bro- 
ther, iu  my  defence.  I  should  like  to  do  as  much  for  you 
another  time  !" 

"  Thank  you,  I^aura,  as  much  as  if  you  had,  but  I  hope 
we  shall  never  be  in  such  a  scrape  again  !  If  Frank  were 
here,  he  would  put  us  both  in  mind  to  thank  a  merciful  God 
for  taking  so  much  care  of  us,  and  bringing  us  safely  home  !" 

*'  Yes,  Hany !  It  is  perhaps  a  good  thing  being  in  dan- 
ger sometimes,  to  remind  us  that  we  cannot  be  safe  or  hap- 
py an  hour  without  God's  care,  so  iu  our  prayers  to-night 
we  must  renienibcr  what  has  happened,  and  return  thanks 
very  particularly." 

It  was  long  past  five  before  Harry  and  Laura  reached 
Holiday  House,  where  Lord  Kockville  met  them  at  the 
drawing-room  door,  looking  taller,  and  grander,  and  graver 
than  ever,  while  Lady  Rockville  rose  from  her  sofa,  and 
came  up  to  them,  saying,  in  a  tone  of  gentle  reproach, 

"  My  dear  children  !  you  ought  to  return  home  before 
the  dinner  hour,  and  not  kecj)  his  Lordship  waiting  !" 

The  very  idea  of  Lord  Rockville  waiting  dinner  was  too 
dreadful  ever  to  have  entered  their  heads  till  this  minute  ; 
but  Harry  and  Laura  immediately  explained  how  exceeding- 
ly sorry  they  were  for  what  had  occurred,  and  to  show  that  it 
was  their  misfortune  rather  than  their  fault,  they  told  the 
whole  frightful  story  of  the  mad  bull,  to  which  Lady  Rock- 
ville listened,  as  if  her  very  hair  wore  standing  upon  end,  to 
hear  of  such  doings.  She  even  turned  up  her  eyes  with  asto- 
nishment to  think  what  a  wonderful  escape  they  had  made  ; 
but  his  Lordship  frowned  through  his  spectacles,  and  leaned 
his  chin  \ipon  his  stick,  looking,  as  Harry  thought,  very  like 
a  b<!ar  upon  a  pole. 

"  Pshaw  I — nonsense!"  cxrlainied  Lord  Ro(kvill(»  im- 
patiently. "  The  bull  would  have  done  you  no  harm  ! 
He  is  a  most  resp(;ctable,  quiet,  well-disposed  animal,  and 


THK    MAD    BULL.  113 

brought  an  excellent  character  from  his  last  place !  I  never 
heard  a  complaint  of  him  before  !" 

"  It  is  curious,"  observed  Laura,  "  that  all  bulls  are 
reckoned  peaceable  and  tame,  till  they  have  tossed  two  or 
three  people,  and  killed  them  !" 

"  I  thought,"  added  Lord  Rockville,  looking  very  grand 
and  contemptuous,  "  that  Harry  was  grown  more  a  man 
than  to  be  so  easily  put  to  flight.  When  a  bull,  another 
time,  threatens  to  toss  you,  seize  hold  of  his  tail, — or  toss 
him  ! — or,  in  short,  do  anything  rather  than  run  away  the 
first  time  an  animal  looks  at  you.  This  is  a  mere  cock- 
and-a-bull  story,  to  excuse  your  keeping  me  waiting  almost 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  for  my  dinner  ! — you  should  be  made 
guard  of  a  mail-coach  for  a  month,  to  teach  you  punctuality, 
Master  Graham." 

Lord  Rockville  gravely  looked  at  his  watch,  while  Harry 
luckily  considered  how  often  his  grandmamahad  recommend- 
ed him  to  make  no  answer  when  he  was  scolded,  so  he  nearly 
bit  off  the  tip  of  his  tongue  to  keep  it  quiet,  while  he  could 
not  but  wish,  in  his  own  mind,  that  my  Lord  himself  saw 
how  very  fierce  the  bull  had  looked. 

Laura  felt  more  vexed  on  Harry's  account  than  her  own, 
and  the  dinner  went  on  as  uncomfortably  as  possible ;  for  even 
when  a  French  cook  has  dressed  it,  if  ill-humour  be  the  sauce, 
any  dish  becomes  unpalatable.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  re- 
flected on  the  surface  of  many  fine  silver  covers,  but  very 
cross,  or  very  melancholy  faces  ;  while  Lady  Rockville  tried 
to  make  her  own  countenance  look  both  cheerful  and  good- 
natured.  She  told  Harry  and  Laura,  to  divert  them,  that 
old  Mrs.  Bouveric  had  once  been  pursued  by  a  furious  milch 
cow,  along  a  lane,  flanked  on  both  sides  by  such  very  hi^h 
walls,  that  escape  seemed  impossible,  so  the  good  lady,  who 
was  fat  and  breathless,  became  so  desperate,  that  without  a 
hope  of  getting  off*,  she  seized  the  enraged  animal  by  the 
horns,  and  screamed  in  its  face,  till  the  cow  herself  became 

k2 


Ill  THE    MAD    BULL. 

frightened.  The  creature  stared,  stopping  backwards  and 
backwards,  with  increasing  alarm,  till  at  last,  to  the  old 
lady's  great  relief  and  surprise,  she  fairly  turned  her  tail  and 
ran  off. 

In  the  evening,  Lord  Rockvillc  had  not  yet  recovered  his 
equanimity,  and  went  out,  rather  in  bad  humour,  to  take  his 
usual  walk  l)eforc  supper.  AVilhout  once  remembering 
about  Harry  and  the  bull,  he  strolled  a  great  way  into  the 
woods,  marking  several  trees  to  be  cut  down,  and  admiring 
a  fine  forest  which  he  had  planted  himself  long  ago,  but 
without  particularly  considering  what  way  he  turned.  It 
was  beginning,  at  last,  to  grow  very  dark  and  gloomy,  so 
Lord  Rockvillc  had  some  thoughts  of  returning  home,  when 
he  became  suddenly  startled  by  hearing  a  loud  roar  not  far 
off",  and  a  moment  afterwards  the  furious  bull  dashed  out  of 
a  neighbouring  thicket,  raging  and  foaming,  and  tearing 
the  ground  with  his  horns,  exactly  as  Harry  had  described 
in  the  morning,  while  poor  I^ord  Rockvillc,  who  seldom 
moved  faster  than  a  very  dignified  walk,  instantly  quickened 
his  pace,  in  an  opposite  direction,  striding  away  faster  and 
faster,  till  at  last, — it  must  be  confessed, — his  Lord.-hip  end(  d 
by  running  !  !  ! 

In  spite  of  all  Lord  Rockvillc's  exertions,  the  bull  con- 
tinued rapidly  to  gain  upon  him,  for  his  Lordship,  being 
rather  corpulent  and  easily  fatigued,  stopped  every  now  and 
then  to  gasp  for  breaih  ;  till  at  last,  feeling  it  impossible  to 
get  on  faster,  though  the  stables  were  now  within  sight,  he 
seized  the  branch  of  a  large  oak  tree,  which  swept  nearly  to 
the  ground,  and  contrived,  with  great  diuiculty,  to  scramble 
out  of  reach. 

The  enraged  bull  gazed  up  into  the  tree  and  bellowed  with 
fury,  when  he  saw  Lord  Rockvillc  so  judiciously  perched 
overhead,  and  he  remained  for  half-an-hour,  watching  to  see 
if  his  Lordship  would  v<Mit'iro  down  again.  At  last  the  tor- 
menting animal  began  Icisun  ly  eating  gra.ss  under  the  tree, 


THE    MAD    BULL.  115 

but  gradually  he  moved  away,  turning  his  back  while  he  fed, 
till  Lord  Rockville  vainly  deluded  himself  with  the  hope  of 
stealing  off  unobserved.  Being  somewhat  rested  and  re- 
freshed, while  the  enemy  was  looking  in  another  direction, 
he  descended  cautiously,  as  if  he  had  been  going  to  tread 
upon  needles  and  pins  ;  but,  unaccustomed  to  such  move- 
ments, he  jumped  so  heavily  upon  the  ground,  that  the  bull 
hearing  a  noise,  turned  round,  and  set  up  a  loud  furious 
roar,  when  he  saw  his  intended  victim  again  within  reach. 

Now  the  race  began  once  more  with  redoubled  agility  ! 
The  odds  seemed  greatly  in  favour  of  the  bull,  and  Lord 
Rockville  thought  he  already  felt  the  animal's  horns  in  his 
side,  when  a  groom,  who  saw  the  party  approaching,  instant- 
ly seized  a  pitchfork  and  flew  to  the  rescue  of  his  master. 
Lord  Rockville  never  stopped  his  career  till  he  reached  the 
stable,  and  ran  up  into  a  loft,  from  the  window  of  which  he 
gave  the  alarm  and  called  for  more  assistance,  when  several 
ploughmen  and  stable-boys  assembled,  who  drove  the  ani- 
mal with  great  difhculty,  into  a  stall,  where  he  continued  so 
ungovernable,  that  iron  chains  were  put  round  his  neck, 
and  some  days  afterwards,  seeing  no  one  could  manage 
him.  Lord  Rockville  ordered  the  bull  to  be  shot,  and  his 
carcase  turned  into  beef  for  the  poor  of  the  parish,  who  all, 
consequently,  rejoiced  at  his  demise  ;  though  the  meat  turn- 
ed out  so  tough,  that  it  required  their  best  teetli  to  eat  it 
with. 

Meantime,  on  that  memorable  evening  of  so  many  adven- 
tures, Harry,  Laura,  and  Lady  Rockville,  wondered  often 
what  had  become  of  his  Lordship,  and,  at  last,  when  supper 
appeared  at  the  usual  hour,  his  absence  became  still  more 
unaccountable  ! 

"^Vhat  can  be  the  matter?"  exclaimed  Lady  Rockville, 
anxiously.  "  This  is  very  odd  !  His  Lordship  is  as  punc- 
tual as  the  postman  in  general !  especially  for  supper  ;  and 
here  is  Lord  Rockville's  favourite  dish  of  sago  and  wine, 


116  THE    MAD    BULL. 

which  will  become  uncatably  cold  in  ten  minutcsj  if  he  does 
not  return  home  to  enjoy  it !" 

Scarcely  had  she  finished  speaking,  when  the  door  open- 
ed and  Lord  Rockvillc  walked  majestically  into  the  room. 
There  wa3  something  so  diflcrent  from  usual  in  his  manner 
and  appearance,  however,  that  Harry  and  I*aura  exchanged 
looks  of  astonishment  ;  his  neckcloth  was  loose — his  face 
excessively  red — and  his  hand  shook,  while  he  breathed  so 
hard,  that  he  might  have  been  heard  at  the  porter's  lodge. 
Lady  Rockville  gazed  with  amazement  at  all  she  saw,  and 
then  asked  what  he  chose  for  supper  ;  but  when  Lord  Rock- 
ville tried  to  speak,  the  words  died  on  his  lips,  so  he  could 
only  point  in  silence  to  the  sairo  and  wine. 

*'  ^^  hat  in  all  the  world  has  happened  to  you  this  evening, 
my  Lord  ?"  exclaimed  Lady  Rockville,  unable  to  restrain 
her  curiosity  a  moment  longer.  "  I  never  saw  you  in  such 
a  way  before  !  Your  eyes  are  perfectly  blood-shot — your 
dress  strangely  disordered — and  you  seem  so  hot  and  so 
fatigued  !     Tell  me  ! — what  is  the  matter  ?" 

"Nothiug!"  answered  Lord  Rockville,  drawing  himself 
up,  while  he  tried  to  look  grander  and  graver  than  ever, 
though  his  Lord.ship  could  not  help  panting  for  breath — put- 
ting his  hands  to  his  sides  —  and  wiping  his  forehead  with 
his  pocket-handkerchief  in  an  agony  of  fatigue.  Harry  ob- 
served all  this  for  some  time,  as  eagerly  and  intently  as  a 
cat  watches  a  bird  on  a  tree.  He  saw  that  something  ex- 
traordinary had  occurred,  and  he  began  to  have  hopes  that 
it  really  was  the  very  thing  he  wished  ;  because,  seeing 
Lord  Rockville  now  perfectly  safe,  he  would  not  have  grudg- 
ed him  a  pretty  considerable  fright  from  his  friend  the  bull. 
At  last,  unable  any  longer  to  control  his  impatience,  Harry 
started  off  his  chair,  ga/.ing  so  earnestly  nt  Lord  Rockville, 
that  his  eyes  almost  sprung  out  of  their  sockets,  while  ho 
rubbed  his  hands  with  cestaey,  saying, 

"I  guc.-s  you've  seen  the  bull  ?  Oh  I   I  am  sure  you  did! 


THE    MAD    BULL.  117 

Pray  tell  us  if  you  have?    Did  he  run  after  you, — and  did 
you  run  away  ?" 

Lord  Rockville  tried  more  than  he  had  ever  done  in  his 
life  to  look  grave,  but  it  would  not  do.  Gradually  his  face 
relaxed  into  a  smile,  till  at  last  he  burst  into  loud  peals  of 
laughter,  joined  most  heartily  by  Harry,  Laura,  and  Lady 
Rockville,  Nobody  recovered  any  gravity  during  the  rest 
of  that  evening,  for  whenever  they  tried  to  think  or  talk 
quietly  about  anything  else,  Harry  and  Laura  were  sure  to 
burst  forth  again  upon  the  subject,  and  even  after  being 
safely  stowed  in  their  beds  for  the  night,  they  both  laughed 
themselves  to  sleep  at  the  idea  of  Lord  Rockville  himself 
having  been  obliged,  after  all,  to  run  away  from  that  "  most 
respectable,  quiet,  well-disposed  animal, 

"  THE    MAD    bull!" 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  BROKEN  KEY. 

First  he  moved  liis  ri;^lu  li'g, 
Then  he  moved  his  left  le^, 
Then  he  said,  "  I  pardon  beg," 
And  sat  upon  liis  scat. 

"  On  !  uncle  David !  uncle  David  !"  cried  Laura,  when 
they  arrived  from  Holiday  House,  "I  would  jump  out  of 
the  carriage  window  with  joy  to  sec  you  again  ;  only  the 
persons  passing  in  the  street  might  be  surprised  !" 

"  Not  at  all  !  They  are  (piite  accustcjincd  to  see  people 
jumping  out  of  the  windows  with  ^oy,  whenever  I  appear." 

"  We  have  so  much  to  tell  you,"  exclaimed  Harry  and 
Laura,  each  seizing  hold  of  a  hand,  "  we  hardly  know  where 
to  begin  !"  • 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen  !  If  you  both  talk  at  once,  I  must 
get  a  new  pair  of  ears  !  So  you  have  not  hten  particularly 
miserable  at  Holiday  House  ?" 

"  No  !  no  !  uncle  David  !  we  did  not  think  there  had  been 
so  much  happiness  in  the  world,"  answered  Laura,  eagerly. 
"  The  last  two  days  we  could  do  nothing  but  play  and  laugh, 
and" 

"  And  grow  fat  1  Why  !  you  both  look  so  well  fed,  you 
are  just  fit  for  killing  !  I  shall  be  obliged  to  shut  you  up  two 
or  tliree  days,  without  anything  to  cat,  as  is  done  to  pet  lap- 
dogs,  whuu  they  arc  getting  corpulent  and  gouty." 


THE    BROKEN    KEY'.  119 

<<  Then  we  shall  be  like  bears  living  on  our  paws,"  replied 
Harry,  "  and  uncle  David !  I  would  rather  do  that,  than  be 
a  glutton  like  Peter  Grey.  He  went  to  a  cheap  shop  lately, 
where  old  cheese-cakes  were  sold  at  half-price,  and  greedily 
devoured  nearly  a  dozen,  thinking  that  the  dead  flies  scat- 
tered on  the  top  were  currants,  till  Frank  shewed  him  his 
mistake !" 

"  Frank  should  have  let  him  eat  in  peace  !  There  is  no 
accounting  for  tastes.  I  once  knew  a  lady  who  liked  to 
swallow  spiders !  She  used  to  crack  and  eat  them  with  the 
greatest  delight,  whenever  she  could  catch  one." 

"  Oh !  what  a  horrid  woman  !  That  is  even  worse  than 
grandmama's  story  about  Dr.  Manvers  having  dined  on  a 
dish  of  mice,  fried  in  cruojbs  of  bread!" 

"  You  know  the  old  proverb,  Harry,  '  one  man's  meat  is 
another  man's  poison.'  The  Persians  are  disgusted  at  our 
eating  lobsters ;  and  the  Hindoos  think  us  scarcely  fit  to 
exist,  because  we  live  on  beef;  while  we  are  equally  amaz- 
ed at  the  Chinese  for  devouring  dog  pies,  and  birds'-nest 
soup.  You  turn  up  your  nose  at  the  French  for  liking 
frogs ;  and  they  think  us  ten  times  worse  with  our  singed 
sheep's  head,  oat  cakes,  and  haggis." 

"  That  reminds  me,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  "  that  when 
Charles  X.  lived  in  what  he  called  the  <dear  Canongate,' 
His  Majesty  was  heard  to  say,  that  he  tried  every  sort  of 
Scotch  goose,  'the  solan  goose,  the  wild  goose,  and  the 
tame  goose  ;  but  the  best  goose  of  all,  was  the  hag-goose.' " 
"  Very  polite,  indeed,  to  adopt  our  national  taste  so  com- 
pletely," observed  uncle  David,  smiling.  "When  my  regi- 
ment was  quartered  in  Spain,  an  officer  of  ours,  a  great  epi- 
cure, and  not  quite  so  complaisant,  used  to  say  that  the 
country  was  scarcely  fit  to  live  in,  because  there  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  dress  almost  every  dish  with  sugar.  At  last,' one 
day,  in  a  rage,  he  ordered  eggs  to  be  brought  up  in  their 
shells  for  dinner,  saying,   '  tliat  is  the  only  thing  the  cook 


120  THE    BROKEN    KEY. 

cannot  possibly  spoil.'  "VVc  played  him  a  trick,  however, 
which  was  very  like  what  you  would  have  done,  Harry,  on  a 
similar  occasion.  I  secretly  put  pounded  sugar  into  the 
salt-cellar,  and  when  he  tasted  his  first  mouthful,  you  should 
have  seen  the  look  of  fury  with  which  he  spnaig  ofl'  his  seat, 
exclaiming,  '  the  barbarians  eat  sugar  even  with  tlicir  eggs  !'  " 

"  That  would  be  the  country  for  me  to  travel  in,"  said 
Harry.  "  I  could  live  in  a  barrel  of  sugar ;  and  my  little 
pony,  Tom  Thuml),  would  be  happy  to  accompany  me 
there,  as  he  likes  anything  sweet." 

"  All  animals  arc  of  the  same  opinion.  I  remember  the 
famous  rider,  Ducrow,  telling  a  brother-ofTicer  of  mine,  thai 
the  way  in  which  he  gains  so  much  influence  over  his 
horses,  is  merely  by  bribing  them  with  sugar.  They  maybe 
managed  in  that  way  like  children,  and  are  quite  aware,  if 
it  be  taken  from  them  as  a  punishment  for  being  restive." 

"  Oh  !  those  beautiful  horses  at  Ducrow's  !  How  often  I 
think  of  them  since  we  were  there  !"  exclaimed  Harry. 
*'  They  were  quite  like  fairies,  with  fine  arched  necks,  and 
long  tails  !" 

"I  never  heard  before  of  a  fairy  with  a  long  tail,  Master 
Harry  ;  but  perhaps  in  the  course  of  your  travels  you  may 
have  seen  such  a  thing." 

"  How  I  should  like  to  ride  upon  Tom  Thumb,  in  Du- 
crow's way,  with  my  toe  on  the  saddle  !" 

"  Fine  doings,  indeed  !"  exclaitned  Mrs.  Crabtrce,  who 
had  entered  the  room  at  this  monicnt.  "  Have  you  forgot- 
ten already.  Master  Harry,  how  many  of  the  nurscy  plates 
you  broke  one  day  when  I  was  out,  in  trying  to  copy  that 
there  foolish  Indian  juggler,  who  tossed  his  plates  in  the  air, 
and  twirled  them  on  his  thumb !  There  must  be  no  more 
such  nonsen.se  ;  for  if  once  your  neck  is  broke  by  a  fall  ofT 
Tom  Thumb,  no  doctor  tliat  I  know  of  can  mend  it  again. 
Remember  what  a  terrible  tumble  you  had  off  tiessy  last 
year!" 


THE    BROKEN    KEY.  121 

"  You  are  always  speaking  about  that  little  overturn,  Mrs. 
Crabtree ;  and  it  was  not  worth  recollecting  above  a  week  ! 
Did  you  never  see  a  man  thrown  off  his  horse  before?" 

"  A  man  and  horse  indeed  !"  said  uncle  David,  laughing, 
when  he  looked  at  Harry.  "  You  and  your  charger  Avere 
hardly  large  enough  then  for  a  toy-shop  ;  and  you  must 
grow  a  little  more,  Captain  Gulliver,  before  you  will  be  fit 
for  a  dragoon  regiment." 

Harry  and  Laura  stayed  very  quietly  at  home  for  several 
weeks  after  their  return  from  Holiday  House,  attending  so 
busily  to  lessons,  that  uncle  David  said  he  felt  much  afraid 
they  were  going  to  be  a  pair  of  little  wonders,  who  would 
die  of  too  much  learning. 

"  You  will  be  taken  ill  of  the  multiplication  table  some 
day,  and  confined  to  bed  with  a  violent  fit  of  geography  ! 
Pray  take  care  of  yourselves,  and  do  not  devour  above  three 
books  at  once,"  said  Major  Graliam  one  day,  entering  the 
room  with  a  note  in  his  hand.  "  Here  is  an  invitation 
that  I  suppose  you  are  both  too  busy  to  accept,  so  perhaps  I 
might  as  well  send  an  apology ;   eh,  Harry  1" 

Down  dropped  the  lesson-books  upon  the  floor,  and  up 
sprung  Harry  in  an  ecstacy  of  delight.  "  An  invitation  ! 
Oh !  I  like  an  invitation  so  very  much !  Pray  tell  us  all 
about  it !" 

"  Perhaps  it  is  an  invitation  to  spend  a  month  with  Dr. 
Lexicon.  What  would  you  say  to  that  1  They  breakfast 
upon  Latin  grammars  at  school,  and  have  a  dish  of  real 
French  verbs,  smothered  in  onions,  for  dinner  every  day." 

"  But  in  downright  eai'nest,  uncle  David !  where  are  we 
going  1" 

"  Must  I  tell  you  ?  Well !  that  good-natured  old  lady, 
Mrs.  Darwin,  intends  taking  a  large  party  of  children  next 
week,  in  her  own  carriage,  to  pass  ten  days  at  Ivy  Lodge,  a 
charming  country  house  about  twenty  miles  off,  where  you 
are  all  to  enjoy  perfect  happiness.     I  wish  I  could  be  ground 

L 


122  THE    BROKEN    KEt. 

down  into  a  little  boy  myself,  for  the  occasion  !  Poor  good 
woman  !  what  a  life  she  will  lead  !  There  is  only  one  little 
drawback  to  your  delight,  that  I  am  almost  afraid  to  an- 
nounce." 

"  AVhat  is  that,  uncle  David  ?"  asked  Harry,  looking  as  if 
nothing  in  nature  could  ever  make  him  grave  again. 
"Arc  we  to  bite  ofl  our  own  noses  before  we  return  ?" 

"  Not  exactly  ;  but  somebody  is  to  be  of  the  parly  who 
will  do  it  for  you.  Mrs.  Darwin  has  heard  that  there  are 
certain  children  who  become  occasionally  rather  unmanage- 
able !  I  cannot  think  who  they  can  be,  for  it  is  certainly 
nobody  we  ever  saw  ;  so  she  has  requested  that  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree  will  follow  in  the  mail-coach." 

Harry  and  Laura  looked  as  if  a  glass  of  cold  water  had 
been  thrown  in  their  faces,  after  this  was  mentioned  ;  but 
they  soon  forgot  every  little  vexation,  in  a  burst  of  joy,  when, 
some  days  afterwards,  Mrs.  Darwin  stopped  at  the  door  to 
pick  them  up,  in  the  most  curious-looking  carriage  they  had 
ever  seen.  It  was  a  very  large  open  car,  as  round  as  a 
bird's  nest,  and  so  perfectly  crowded  with  children,  that  no- 
body could  have  sup|)oscd  any  room  left  even  for  a  doll  ; 
but  Mrs.  Darwin  said  that  whatever  number  of  people  came 
in,  there  was  ahVays  accommodation  for  one  more  ;  and 
this  really  proved  to  be  the  case,  for  Harry  and  Laura  soon 
elbowed  their  way  into  seats,  and  set  off,  waving  their  hand- 
kerchiefs to  Major  Graham,  who  had  helped  to  pack  them 
in,  and  who  now  stood  smiling  at  the  door. 

As  this  very  large  vehicle  wjis  drawn  by  only  one  horse, 
it  proceeded  very  slowly  ;  but  Mrs.  DarAvin  amui-ed  the 
children  with  several  very  diverting  stories,  and  gave  ihcm 
a  grand  luncheon  in  the  carriage ;  after  which,  they  threw 
what  was  left,  wrapped  up  in  an  old  newspaper,  to  some  peo- 
ple breaking  stones  on  the  road,  feeling  quite  deliohted  io 
sec  the  surprise  and  joy  of  the  poor  labourers  when  they 
opeiiLd  the  parcel.     li\  short,  everybody  became  sorry  whcu 


THE    BROKEN    KEY.  123 

this  diverting  journey  was  finished,  and  they  drove  up,  at 
last,  to  the  gate  of  a  tall  old  house,  that  looked  as  if  it  had 
been  built  in  the  year  one.  The  walls  were  very  thick,  and 
quite  mouldy  with  age.  Indeed,  the  only  wonder  was,  that 
Ivy  Lodge  had  still  a  roof  upon  its  head,  for  every  thing 
about  it  looked  so  tottering  and  decayed.  The  very  ser- 
vants were  all  old ;  and  a  white-headed  butler  opened  the 
door,  who  looked  as  frail  and  gloomy  as  the  house ;  but 
before  long,  the  old  walls  of  Ivy  Lodge  rung  and  echoed 
again  with  sounds  of  mirth  and  joy.  It  seemed  to  have 
been  built  on  purpose  for  hide  and  seek  ;  there  were  rooms 
with  invisible  doors,  and  closets  cut  in  the  walls,  and  great 
old  chests  where  people  might  have  been  buried  alive  for  a 
year,  without  being  found  out.  The  gardens,  too,  were 
perfectly  enchanting.  Such  arbours  to  take  strawberries 
and  cream  in  I  and  such  summer-houses,  where  they  drank 
tea  out  of  doors  every  evening  !  Here  they  saw  a  prodi- 
gious eagle,  fastened  to  the  ground  by  a  chain,  and  looking 
the  most  dull,  melancholy  creature  in  the  world  ;  while 
Harry  wished  the  poor  bird  might  be  liberated,  and  thought 
how  delightful  it  would  be  to  stand  by  and  see  him  soaring 
away  to  his  native  skies. 

"  Yes  !  with  a  large  slice  of  raw  meat  in  his  beak  !"  said 
Peter  Grey,  who  was  always  thinking  of  eating.  "I  dare 
say  he  lives  much  better  here,  than  he  would  do  killing  his 
own  mutton  up  in  the  clouds  there,  or  taking  his  chance  of 
a  dead  horse  on  the  sea-shore  occasionally." 

Harry  and  Peter  were  particularly  amused  with  Mrs. 
Darwin's  curious  colleption  of  pets.  There  were  black 
swans  with  red  bills,  swimming  gracefully  in  a  pond  close  to 
the  window,  and  ready  to  rush  forward  on  the  shortest  notice, 
for  a  morsel  of  bread.  The  lop-eared  rabbits  also  surprised 
them,  with  their  ears  hanging  down  to  the  ground,  and  they 
were  interested  to  see  a  pair  of  carrier-pigeons  which  could 
earry  letters  as  well  as  the  postman.     Mrs.  Darwin  showed 


124  THE    liUOKEN    KEY. 

them  tumbler  pigeons  too,  that  performed  a  summerset  in 
the  air  when  they  flew,  and  horsemen  and  dragoon  pigeons, 
trumpeters  and  pouters,  till  Peter  Grey  at  last  begged  to  see 
the  pigeons  that  made  the  pigeon-pies,  and  the  cow  that  gave 
the  butter-milk  ;  he  was  likewise  very  anxious  for  leave  to 
bring  his  fishing-rod  into  the  drawing-room,  to  try  whether 
he  could  catch  one  of  the  beautiful  gold-fish  that  swam 
about  in  a  large  glass  globe,  saying  he  thought  it  might 
perhaps  be  very  good  to  eat  at  breakfast.  Mrs.  Darwin 
had  a  pet  lamb  that  she  was  exceedingly  fond  of,  because  it 
followed  her  everywhere,  and  Harry,  who  was  very  fond  of 
the  little  creature,  said  he  wished  some  plan  could  be  in- 
vented to  hinder  its  ever  growing  into  a  great  fat  vulgar 
sheep  ;  and  he  thought  the  white  mice  were  old  animals  that 
had  grown  grey  with  years. 

There  were  donkies  for  the  children  to  ride  upon,  and 
Mrs.  Darwin  had  a  boat  that  hold  the  whole  party,  to  sail  in, 
round  the  pond,  and  she  hung  up  a  swing  that  seemed  to  fly 
about  as  high  as  the  house,  which  they  swung  upon,  after 
which  they  were  allowed  to  shake  the  fruit-trees,  and  to  eat 
whatever  came  down  about  their  ears  ;  so  it  very  often  rain- 
ed apples  and  pears  in  the  gardens  at  Ivy  Lodge,  for  Peter 
seemed  never  to  tire  of  that  joke;  indeed  the  apple-trees 
had  a  sad  life  of  it  as  long  as  he  remained. 

Peter  told  Mrs.  Darwin  that  he  had  "  a  patent  appetite," 
which  was  always  ready  on  every  occasion  ;  but  the  good 
lady  became  so  fond  of  stiiniug  the  children  at  all  hours, 
that  even  he  felt  a  little  puzzled  sometimes  how  to  dispose 
of  all  she  heaped  upon  his  plate,  while  both  Harry  and  Lau- 
ra, who  were  far  from  greedy,  became  perfectly  wearied  of 
hearing  the  gong.  The  whole  party  assembled  at  eight 
every  morning,  to  partake  of  porridge  and  butter-milk,  after 
which,  at  ten,  thry  breakfasted  with  Mrs.  Darwin  on  tea, 
mutllns,  and  swectuicats.  They  tlicn  drove  in  the  round 
open  car,  to  bathe  in  the  sea,  on  their  return  from  which,' 


THE    BROKEN    KEY.  125 

luncheon  was  always  ready,  and  after  concluding  that,  they 
might  pass  the  interval  till  dinner  among  the  fruit-trees. 
They  never  could  eat  enough  to  please  Mrs.  Darwin  at  din- 
ner ;  tea  followed,  on  a  most  substantial  plan ;  their  supper 
consisted  of  poached  eggs,  and  the  maid  was  desired  to  put 
a  biscuit  under  every  visitor's  pillow,  in  case  the  young 
people  should  be  hungry  in  the  night,  for  Mrs.  Darwin  said 
she  had  been  starved  at  school  herself,  when  she  was  a  little 
girl,  and  wished  nobody  ever  to  suffer,  as  she  had  done, 
from  hunger. 

The  good  lady  was  so  anxious  for  everything  to  be  exact- 
ly as  the  children  liked  it,  that  sometimes  Laura  felt  quite 
at  a  loss  what  to  say  or  do.  One  day,  having  cracked  her 
egg-shell  at  breakfast,  Mrs.  Darwin  peeped  anxiously  over 
her  shoulder,  saying, 

"I  hope,  my  dear  !  your  egg  is  all  right  ?" 

«  Most  excellent  indeed  I" 

«  Is  it  quite  fresh  1" 

"  Perfectly !  I  dare  say  it  was  laid  only  a  minute  before 
it  was  boiled  !" 

"  I  have  seen  the  eggs  much  larger  than  that." 

"  Yes  !  but  then  I  believe  they  are  rather  coarse, — at  least 
we  think  so,  when  Mrs.  Crabtree  gives  us  a  turkey  egg  at 
dinner." 

"  If  you  prefer  them  small,  perhaps  you  would  like  a  gui- 
nea-fowl's egg?" 

"  Thank  you !  but  this  one  is  just  as  I  like  them." 

"  It  looks  rather  over-done !  If  you  think  so,  we  could 
get  another  in  a  minute  !" 

"  No  !  they  are  better  well  boiled !" 

"  Then  probably  it  is  not  enough  done.  Some  people 
like  them  quite  hard,  and  I  could  easily  pop  it  into  the  slop- 
basin  for  another  minute." 

"  I  am  really  obliged  to  you,  but  it  could  not  be  improv- 
ed." 

12 


126  THE    imoKF.N    KF.V. 

"  Do  you  not  take  any  more  salt  with  your  egg?" 

«  No,  I  thank  you !" 

"  A  few  more  grains  would  improve  it !" 

"  If  you  say  so,  I  dare  say  they  will." 

"  Ah  !  now  I  am  afraid  you  have  put  in  too  much  !  pray 
do  get  another  !" 

This  long-continued  attack  upon  her  egg  was  too  much 
for  Laura's  gravity,  who  appeared  for  some  minutes  to  have 
a  violent  fit  of  coughing,  and  ending  in  a  burst  of  laughter, 
after  which  she  hastily  finished  all  that  remained  of  it,  and 
thus  ended  the  discussion. 

In  the  midst  of  all  their  ha[)piness,  while  the  children 
thought  that  every  succeeding  day  had  no  fault  but  being 
too  short,  and  Harry  even  planned  with  Peter  to  stop  the 
clock  altogether,  and  see  whether  time  itself  would  not  stand 
still,  nobody  ever  thought  for  a  moment  of  anything  but 
joy  ;  and  yet  a  very  sad  and  sudden  distress  awaited  Mrs. 
Darwin.  One  forenoon  she  received  a  letter  that  seemed 
very  hastily  and  awkwardly  folded, — the  seal  ^\■as  all  to  one 
side,  and  surrounded  with  stray  drops  of  red  wax, — the  direc- 
tion appeared  sadly  blotted,  and  at  the  top  was  written  in 
large  letters,  the  words,  "  To  be  delivered  immediately." 

When  INIrs.  Darwin  hurriedly  tore  open  this  very  strange- 
looking  letter,  she  found  that  it  came  from  her  own  house- 
keeper in  town,  to  announce  the  dreadful  event  that  her  sis- 
ter, Lady  Barnet,  had  b(  en  that  day  seized  MJth  an  apoplectic 
fit,  and  was  thought  to  be  at  the  point  of  death,  therefore  it 
was  hoped  that  Mrs.  Darwin  would  not  lose  an  hour  in  re- 
turning to  town,  that  she  might  be  present  on  the  melan- 
choly occasion.  The  shock  of  hearing  this  news  was  so 
Tcry  great,  that  poor  Mrs.  Darwin  could  not  speak  about  it, 
but  after  trying  to  compose  herself  for  a  few  minutes,  she 
went  into  tho  play-room,  and  told  the  children  that,  for  rea- 
sons she  could   not  explain,  thny  must  get  ready  to   return 


THE    BROKEN    KEY.  127 

home  in  an  hour,  when  the  car  would  be  at  the  door  for 
their  journey. 

Nothing  could  exceed  their  surprise  on  hearing  Mrs. 
Darwin  make  such  an  unexpected  proposal.  At  first  Peter 
Grey  thought  she  was  speaking  in  jest,  and  said  he  would 
prefer  if  she  ordered  out  a  balloon  to  travel  in,  this  morn- 
ing ;  but  when  it  appeared  that  Mrs.  Darwin  was  really  in 
earnest  about  their  pleasant  visit  being  over  so  soon,  Harry's 
face  'grew  perfectly  red  with  passion,  while  he  said  in  a 
loud  angry  voice, 

"  Grandmama  allowed  me  to  stay  here  till  Friday  ! — and 
I  was  invited  to  stay, — and  I  will  not  go  anywhere  else !" 

"  Oh  fie,  Master  Harry !"  said  Mrs.  Crabtree.  "  Do  not 
talk  so  !  You  ought  to  know  better  !  I  shall  soon  teach 
you,  however,  to  do  as  you  are  bid !" 

Saying  these  words,  she  stretched  out  her  hand  to  seize 
violent  hold  of  him,  but  Harry  dipped  down  and  escaped. 
Quickly  opening  the  door,  he  ran,  half  in  joke  and  half  in 
earnest,  at  full  speed  up  two  pairs  of  stairs,  followed  closely 
by  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who  was  now  in  a  terrible  rage,  especial- 
ly when  she  saw  what  a  piece  of  fun  Harry  thought  this  fa- 
tiguing race.     A  door  happened  to  be  standing  wide  open 
on  the  second  landing-place,  which,  having  been  observed 
by  Harry,  he  darted  in,  and  slammed  it  in  Mrs.  Crabtree's 
face,  locking  and  double-locking  it,  to  secure  his  own  safe- 
ty, after  which  he  sat  down  in  this  empty  apartment  to  en- 
joy his  victory  in    peace.     When  people  once  begin  to 
grow  self-willed  and  rebellious,   it  is  impossible  to  guess 
where  it  will  all  end  !     Harry  might  have  been  easily  led  to 
do  right   at  first,  if  any  one  had  reasoned  with  him  and 
spoken  kindly,  but  now  he  really  was  in  a  sort  of  don't-care- 
a-button  humour,  and  scarcely  minded  what  he  did  next. 

As  long  as  Mrs.  Crabtree  continued  to  scold  and  rave 
behind  the  door,  Harry  grew  harder  and  harder  ;  but  at 
length  the  good  old  lady,  Mrs.  Darwin  herself,  arrived  up 


128 


THE    nnOKEN    KEY. 


Stairs,  and  represented  how  ungrateful  he  was,  not  doing  all 
in  his  power  to  ))lease  her,  when  she  had  taken  so  much 
pains  to  make  him  happy.  This  brought  the  little  rebel 
round  in  a  moment,  as  he  became  quite  sensil)Ie  of  his  own 
misconduct,  and  resolved  immediately  to  submit.  Accord- 
ingly, Harry  tried  to  open  the  door,  but,  what  is  very  easily 
done  cannot  sometimes  be  undone,  which  turned  out  the 
case  on  this  occasion,  as,  with  all  his  exertions,  the  key 
would  not  turn  in  the  lock  !  Harry  tried  it  first  one  way, 
then  another.  He  twisted  with  his  whole  strength,  till  his 
face  became  perfectly  scarlet  with  the  cfTort,  but  in  vain ! 
At  last  he  put  the  poker  through  the  handle  of  the  key, 
thinking  this  a  very  clever  plan,  and  quite  sure  to  succeed, 
but  after  a  desperate  struggle,  the  unfortunate  key  broke  in 
two,  so  tlien  nobody  could  possibly  open  the  door ! 

After  this  provoking  accident  happened,  Harry  felt  what 
a  very  bad  boy  he  had  been,  so  he  burst  into  tears,  and 
called  through  the  key-hole  to  beg  Mrs.  Darwin's  pardon, 
while  Mrs.  Crabtrce  scolded  him  through  the  key-hole  in 
return,  till  Harry  shrunk  away  as  if  a  cannonading  had  be- 
gun at  his  ear. 

Meantime,  Mrs.  Darwin  hurried  off,  racking  her  brains 
to  think  what  had  best  be  done  to  deliver  the  prisoner,  since 
no  time  could  be  lost,  or  she  might  perhaps  not  get  to  town 
at  all  that  night,  and  the  car  was  expected  every  minute,  to 
come  round  for  the  travellers.  The  gardener  said  he 
thought  it  might  be  possible  to  find  a  few  ladders,  which, 
being  tied  one  above  another,  would  i)crhaps  reach  as  high 
as  the  window,  where  Harry  had  now  appeared,  and  by 
which  he  could  easily  scramble  down  ;  so  the  servants  made 
haste  to  fetch  all  they  could  find,  and  to  borrow  all  (hey 
could  see,  till  a  great  many  were  collected.  These  they 
joined  toiethor  very  sfronirly  with  ropes,  but  when  it  was  at 
\x^t  reared  against   the  wall,  to  the   great  disappointment  of 


THE  BROKEN  KET.  129 

Mrs.  Darwin,  the  ladder   appeared  a  yard   and  a-half  too 
short ! 

What  was  to  be  done  ? 

The  obliging  gardener  mounted  to  the  very  top  of  his 
ladder,  and  Harry  leaned  so  far  over  the  window,  he  seem- 
ed in  danger  of  falling  out,  but  still  they  did  not  reach  one 
another,  so  not  a  single  person  could  guess  what  plan  was 
to  be  tried  next.  At  length  Harry  called  out  very  loudly  to 
the  gardener, 

"  Hollo  !  Mr.  King  of  Spades !  If  I  were  to  let  myself 
drop  very  gently  down  from  the  window,  could  you  catch 
me  in  your  arms  ?" 

"  Mr.  Harry  !  Mr.  Harry  !  if  you  dare !"  cried  Mrs. 
Crabtree,  shaking  her  fist  at  him.  "You'll  be  broken  in 
pieces  like  a  tea-pot,  you'll  be  made  as  flat  as  a  pancake  ! 
Stay  where  you  are  !     Do  ye  hear  !" 

But  Harry  seemed  suddenly  grown  deaf,  and  was  now 
more  than  half  out — fixing  his  fingers  very  firmly  on  the 
ledge  of  the  window,  and  slowly  dropping  his  legs  down- 
wards. 

"  Oh  Harry  !  you  will  be  killed  !"  screamed  Laura. 
"  Stop  !  stop  !  Harry,  are  you  mad  t  can  nobody  stop 
him  ?" 

But  nobody  could  stop  him,  for,  being  so  high  above 
everybody's  head,  Harry  had  it  all  his  own  way,  and  was 
now  nearly  hanging  altogether  out  of  the  window,  but  he 
stopped  a  single  minute,  and  called  out,  "  Do  not  be  fright- 
ened, Laura  !  I  have  behaved  very  ill,  and  deserve  the 
worst  that  can  happen.  If  I  do  break  my  head,  it  will  save 
Mrs.  Crabtree  the  trouble  of  breaking  it  for  me,  after  I 
come  down." 

The  gardener  now  balanced  himself  steadily  on  the  up- 
per step  of  the  ladder,  and  spread  his  arms  out,  while  Harry 
slowly  let  himself  drop.  Laura  tried  to  look  on  without 
screaming  out,  as  that   might  have  startled  him,  but  the 


130  THE    BROKEN    KET. 

scene  became  too  frightful,  so  she  closed  her  eyes,  put  her 
haudd  over  her  face  and  turned  away,  while  her  heart  beat  so 
violently,  that  it  might  almost  have  been  heard.  Kven 
Mrs.  Crabtree  clasped  her  hands  in  an  agony  of  alarm, 
while  Mrs.  Darwin  put  up  her  pocket  handkerchief,  and 
could  not  look  on  another  moniciit.  An  awful  pause  took 
place,  during  which,  a  feather  falling  on  the  ground  would 
have  startled  them,  when  suddenly  a  loud  shout  from  Peter 
Grey  and  the  other  children,  which  was  gaily  echoed  frora 
the  top  of  the  ladder,  made  Laura  venture  to  look  up,  and 
there  was  Harry  safe  in  the  gardener's  arms,  who  soon  helped 
him  down  to  the  ground,  where  he  immediately  asked  par- 
don of  everybody  for  the  fright  he  had  given  them. 

There  wag  no  time  for  more  than  half  a  scold  from  Mrs. 
Crabtree,  as  Mrs.  Darwin's  ear  had  been  waiting  some 
time  ;  so  Harry  said  she  might  be  owing  him  the  rest,  on 
some  future  occasion. 

"  Yes  !  and  a  hundred  lashes  besides  !"  added  Peter 
Grey,  laughing.  "  Pray  touch  him  up  well,  Mrs.  Crabtree, 
M'hen  you  are  about  it.  There  is  no  law  against  cruelty  to 
boys !" 

This  put  Mrs.  Crabtree  into  such  a  rage,  that  she  follow- 
ed Peter  with  a  perfect  hail-storm  of  angry  words,  till  at 
last,  for  a  joke,  he  put  up  Mrs.  Darwin's  umbrella  to  screen 
himself,  and  immediately  afterwards  the  car  drove  slowly 
off. 

When  uncle  David  heard  all  the  adventures  at  Ivy  Lodge, 
he  listened  most  attentively  to  "  the  confessions  of  Master 
Harry  Graham,"  and  shook  his  head  in  a  most  serious 
manner  after  they  were  concluded,  saying,  "  I  have  always 
thought  that  boys  are  like  cats,  with  nine  lives  at  least  ! 
You  should  be  hung  up  in  a  basket,  Harry,  as  they  do  with 
unruly  boys  in  the  iSouth  Sea  Islands,  where  such  young 
gentlemen  as  you  are  left  dangling  in  the  air  for  days  toge- 
ther without  a  possibility  of  escape  !" 


THE    BROKEN    KEY.  131 

«  I  would  not  care  for  that  compared  with  being  teazed 
and  worried  by  Mrs.  Crabtree.  I  really  wish,  uncle  David, 
that  Dr.  Bell  would  order  me  never  to  be  scolded  any  more  ! 
It  is  very  bad  for  me !  I  generally  feel  an  odd  sort  of  over- 
all-ish-ness  as  soon  as  she  begins  ;  and  I  am  getting  too 
big  now,  for  any  thing  but  a  birch-rod  like  Frank.  How 
pleasant  it  is  to  be  a  grown-up  man,  uncle  David,  as  you 
are,  sitting  all  day  at  the  club  with  your  hat  on  your  head, 
and  nothing  to  do  but  look  out  of  the  window.  That  is  what 
I  call  happiness  !" 

"  But  once  upon  a  time,  Harry,"  said  Lady  Harriet, 
"  when  I  stopped  in  the  carriage  for  your  uncle  David  at 
the  club,  he  was  in  the  middle  of  such  a  yawn  at  the  win- 
dow, that  he  very  nearly  dislocated  his  jaw !  it  was  quite 
alarming  to  see  him,  and  he  told  me  in  a  great  secret,  that 
the  longest  and  most  tiresome  hours  of  his  life  are,  when 
he  has  nothing  particular  to  do." 

"  Now,  at  this  moment,  I  have  nothing  particular  to  do," 
said  Major  Graham,  "  therefore  I  shall  tell  you  a  wonderful 
story,  children,  about  liking  to  be  idle  or  busy,  and  you 
must  find  out  the  moral  for  yourselves." 

"  A  story  !  a  story  !"  cried  Harry  and  Laura,  in  an  ecs- 
tacy  of  delight,  aud  as  they  each  had  a  knee  of  uncle  Da- 
vid's, which  belonged  to  themselves,  they  scrambled  into 
their  places,  exclaiming,  "  Now  let  it  be  all  about  very  bad 
boys,  and  giants,  aud  fairies !" 


CHAPTER   IX. 


UNCLE  DAVID'S  NONSENSICAL  STORY  ABOUT 
GIANTS  AND  FAIRIES. 

"  Pic-crust  and  pastry-crusi,  that  was  the  wall ; 
The  windows  were  made  of  black-puddings  and  white, 
And  slated  with  pancakes— you  ne'er  saw  the  like !" 

In  the  (lays  of  yore,  children  were  not  all  such  clever,  good 
sensible  people  as  they  arc  now  !  Lessons  were  then  con- 
sidered rather  a  plague,  sugar-plums  were  still  in  demand — 
holidays  continued  yet  in  fashion — and  toys  were  not  then 
made  to  teach  mathematics,  nor  story-books  to  give  instruc- 
tion in  cheini-stry  and  navigation.  These  were  very  strange 
times,  and  there  existed  at  that  period,  a  very  idle,  greedy, 
naughtyboy,  suchas  we  never  hear  of  in  the  present  day.   His 

papa  and  mama  were no  matter  who, and  he  lived, 

no  matter  where.  His  name  was  Master  No-book,  and  he 
seemed  to  think  his  eyes  were  made  for  nothing  but  to  stare 
out  of  the  windows,  Jind  his  mouth  for  no  other  purpose  but 
to  eat.  This  young  gentleman  hated  lessons  like  mustard, 
both  of  which  brought  tears  into  his  eyes,  and  during  .school- 
hours,  he  sat  gazing  at  his  book.s,  pretending  to  be  busy, 
while  his  mind  wat»dered  away  to  wish  impatiently  for  his 
dinner,  and  to  consider  where  he  could  get  the  nicest  pies, 
pastry,  ices,  and  jellies,  while  he   smacked  his   lips  at  the 


THE    WONDERl'UL    STOHV.  133 

very  thoughts  of  them.     I  think  he  must  have  been  first 
cousin  to  Peter  Grey,  but  that  is  not  perfectly  certain. 

Whenever  Master  No-book  spoke,  it  was  always  to  ask 
for  something,  and  you  might  continually  hear  him  say,  in 
a  whining  tone  of  voice,  "  Papa  !  may  I  take  this  piece  of 
cake  ?  Aunt  Sarah  !  will  you  give  me  an  apple  1  Mama  !  do 
send  me  the  whole  of  that  plum-pudding !"  Indeed,  very 
frequently  when  he  did  not  get  permission  to  gormandize, 
this  naughty  glutton  helped  himself  without  leave.  Even 
his  dreams  were  like  his  waking  hours,  for  he  had  often  a 
horrible  night-mare  about  lessons,  thinking  that  he  was  smo- 
thered with  Greek  Lexicons,  or  pelted  out  of  the  school  with 
a  shower  of  English  Grammars,  while  one  night,  he  fancied 
himself  sitting  down  to  devour  an  enormous  plum-cake,  and 
that  all  on  a  sudden  it  became  transformed  into  a  Latin 
Dictionary  ! 

One  afternoon,  Master  No-book,  having  played  truant  all 
day  from  school,  was  lolling  on  his  mama's  best  sofa  in  the 
drawing-room,  with  his  leather  boots  tucked  up  on  the  satin 
cushions,  and  nothing  to  do  but  to  suck  a  few  oranges,  and 
nothing  to  think  of  but  how  much  sugar  to  put  upon  them, 
when  suddenly  an  event  took  place  which  filled  him  with 
astonishment. 

A  sound  of  soft  music  stole  into  the  room,  becoming 
louder  and  louder  the  longer  he  listened,  till  at  length,  in  a 
few  moments  afterwards,  a  large  hole  burst  open  in  the  wall 
of  his  room,  and  there  stepped  into  his  presence,  two  mag- 
nificent fairies,  just  arrived  from  their  castle  in  the  air,  to 
pay  him  a  visit.  They  had  travelled  all  the  way  on  purpose 
to  have  some  conversation  with  Master  No-book,  and  imme- 
diately introduced  themselves  in  a  very  ceremonious  man- 
ner. 

The  fairy  Do-nothing  was  gorgeously  dressed  with  a 
wreath  of  flaming  gas  round  her  head,  a  robe  of  gold  tissue, 
a  necklace  of  rubies,  and  a  bouquet  in  her  hand,  of  glitter- 

M 


134  THE    WONDERFUL    STORT. 

ing  diamonds.  Her  cheeks  were  rouged  to  the  very  eyes, 
— her  teeth  were  set  in  gold,  and  her  hair  was  of  a  most 
l)iilliant  purple  ;  in  short,  so  fine  and  fashionable  looking  a 
fairy  never  was  seen  in  a  drawing-room  before. 

The  fairy  Teach-all,  who  followed  next,  was  simply  dress- 
ed in  white  muslin,  with  bunches  of  natural  flowers  in  her 
lifht  brown  hair,  and  she  carried  in  her  hand  a  few  neat 
small  books,  which  Master  No-book  looked  at  with  a  shud- 
der of  aversion. 

The  two  fairies  now  informed  him,  that  they  very  often 
invited  large  parties  of  children,  to  spend  sometime  at  their 
palaces,  but  as  they  lived  in  quite  an  opposite  direction,  it 
was  necessary  for  their  young  guests  to  choose  which  it 
would  be  best  to  visit  first ;  therefore  now  they  had  come  to 
inquire  of  Master  No-book,  whom  he  thought  it  would  be 
most  airreeable  to  accompany  on  the  j)resent  occasion. 

«'  In  my  house,"  said  the  fairy  Teach-all,  speaking  with  a 
very  sweet  smile,  and  a  soft,  pleasing  voice,  "you  shall  be 
taught  to  find  pleasure  in  every  sort  of  exertion,  for  I  delight 
in  activity  and  diligence.     My  young  friends  rise  at  seven 
every  morning,  and  amuse  themselves  with  working  in  a 
beautiful  garden   of  flowers,— rearing  whatever   fruit   they 
wish  to  eat, — visiting  among   the  poor, — associating  plea- 
santly together, — studying  the  arts  and  sciences, — and  learn- 
ing to  know  the  world  in   which  they  live,  and  to  fulfil  the 
purposes  for  which  they  have  been  brought  into  it.     In  short, 
all  our  amusements  tend  to  some  useful  object,  either  for  our 
own  improvement  or  the  good  of  others,  and  you  will  grow 
wiser,  better,  and  happier  every  day  you  remain    in  the  Pa- 
lace of  Knowledge." 

"  lint  in  Castle  Needless  where  I  live,"  interrupted  the 
fairy  Do-nothing,  rudely  pushing  her  companion  aside,  with 
an  angry  contemptuous  look,  "we  never  think  of  exerting 
ourselves  for  anything.  Vou  may  put  your  head  in  your 
pocket,  and  your  hands  in  your  sides  as  long  as  you  choose 


THE    WONDERFUL    STORT.  135 

to  stay.  No  one  is  ever  even  asked  a  question,  that  he 
may  be  spared  the  trouble  of  answering.  We  lead  the  most 
fashionable  life  that  can  be  imagined,  for  nobody  speaks  to 
anybody !  Each  of  my  visitors  is  quite  an  exclusive,  and  sits 
with  his  back  to  as  many  of  the  company  as  possible,  in  the 
most  comfortable  arm-chair  that  can  be  imagined.  There, 
if  you  are  only  so  good  as  to  take  the  trouble  of  wishing  for 
anything,  it  is  yours,  without  even  turning  an  eye  round 
to  look  where  it  comes  from.  Dresses  are  provided  of  the 
most  magnificent  kind,  which  go  on  of  themselves,  without 
your  having  the  smallest  annoyance  with  either  buttons  or 
strings, — games  which  you  can  play  without  an  effort  of 
thought, — and  dishes  dressed  by  a  French  cook,  smoking 
hot  and  hot  under  your  nose,  from  morning  till  night, — 
while  any  rain  we  have,  is  either  made  of  cherry  brandy, 
lemonade,  or  lavender  water, — and  in  winter  it  generally 
snows  iced-punch  for  an  hour  during  the  forenoon." 

Nobody  need  be  told  which  fairy  Master  No-book  pre- 
ferred ;  and  quite  charmed  at  his  own  good  fortune  in  re- 
ceiving so  agreeable  an  invitation,  he  eagerly  gave  his 
hand  to  the  splendid  new  acquaintance,  who  promised  him 
so  much  pleasure  and  ease,  and  gladly  proceeded,  in  a  car- 
riage lined  with  velvet,  stuffed  with  downy  pillows,  and 
drawn  by  milk-white  swans,  to  that  magnificent  residence 
Castle  Needless,  which  was  lighted  by  a  thousand  windows 
during  the  day,  and  by  a  million  of  lamps  every  night. 

Here  Master  No-book  enjoyed  a  constant  holiday  and  a 
constant  feast,  while  a  beautiful  lady,  covered  with  jewels, 
was  ready  to  tell  him  stories  from  morning  till  night,  and 
servants  waited  to  pick  up  his  playthings  if  they  fell,  or  to 
draw  out  his  purse  or  his  pocket-handkerchief  when  he  wish- 
ed to  use  them. 

Thus  Master  No-book  lay  dozing  for  hours  and  days  on 
rich  embroidered  cushions,  never  stirring  from  his  place, 
bat  admiring  the  view  of  trees  covered  with  the  richest 


136  THE    WONUEnrUL    STORY. 

burned  almonds,  grottoes  of  sugar-candy,  a  jet  d'cau  of 
champagne,  a  wide  sea  which  tasted  of  suijar  instead  of  salt, 
and  a  bright  clear  pond,  filled  with  gold-fish,  that  let  them- 
selves be  caught  whenever  ho  pleased.  IVothing  could  bo 
more  complete,  and  yet,  very  strange  to  say,  Master  No- 
book  did  not  seem  particularly  happy  !  This  appears  ex- 
ceedingly unreasonable,  when  so  much  trouble  was  taken  to 
please  him  ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  every  day  he  became  more 
fretful  and  peevish.  No  sweetmeats  were  worth  the  trouble 
of  eating,  nothing  was  pleasant  to  jday  at,  and  in  the  end 
he  wished  it  were  possible  to  sleep  all  day,  as  well  as  all 
night. 

Not  a  hundred  miles  from  the  fairy  Do-nothing's  palace, 
there  lived  a  most  cruel  monster  called  the  giant  Snap-'em- 
up,  who  looked,  when  he  stood  up,  like  the  tall  steeple  of  a 
great  church,  raising  his  head  so  hiijh,  that  he  could  peep 
over  the  loftiest  mountains,  and  was  obliged  to  climb  up  a 
ladder  to  comb  his  own  hair. 

Every  morning  regularly,  this  prodigiously  great  giant 
walked  round  the  world  before  breakfast  for  an  appetite,  after 
which,  he  made  tea  in  a  large  lake,  used  the  sea  as  a  sloj)- 
basin,  and  boiled  his  kettle  on  Mount  Vesuvius.  He  lived 
in  great  style,  and  his  dinners  were  most  magnificent,  con- 
sisting very  often  of  an  elejjhant  roasted  whole,  ostrich  pat- 
ties, a  tiger  smothered  in  onions,  stewed  lions,  and  whale 
soup  ;  but  for  a  side-dish  his  greatest  favourite  consisted  of 
little  boys,  as  fat  as  possible,  fried  in  crumbs  of  bread,  with 
plenty  of  pepper  and  salt. 

No  children  were  so  well  fed,  or  in  such  good  condition 
fur  eating,  as  those  in  the  fairy  Do-nothing's  garden,  who 
was  a  very  particular  friend  of  the  giant  Siiap-'cm-iip's,  and 
who  sometimes  laughingly  said  she  would  give  him  a  li- 
cense, and  call  her  own  garden  his  "  preserve,"  because  she 
allowed  him  to  help  himself',  whenever  he  pleased,  to  as 
many  of    her    visitors    as    he    chose,   without    taking   the 


THE    WONDERFUL    STORY.  137 

trouble  even  to  count  them,  and  in  return  for  such  extreme 
civility,  the  giant  very  frequently  invited  her  to  dinner. 

Snap-'em-up's  favourite  sport  was,  to  see  how  many  brace 
of  little  boys  he  could  bag  in  a  morning  ;  so  in  passing 
along  the  streets,  he  peeped  into  all  the  drawing-rooms 
without  having  occasion  to  get  upon  tiptoe,  and  picked  up 
every  young  gentleman  who  was  idly  looking  out  of  the 
windows,  and  even  a  few  occasionally  who  were  playing 
truant  from  school,  but  busy  children  seemed  always  some- 
how quite  out  of  his  reach. 

One  day,  when  Master  No-book  felt  even  more  lazy, 
more  idle,  and  more  miserable  than  ever,  he  lay  beside  a 
perfect  mountain  of  toys  and  cakes,  wondering  what  to  wish 
for  next,  and  hating  the  very  sight  of  everything  and  every- 
body. At  last  he  gave  so  loud  a  yawn  of  weariness  and 
disgust,  that  his  jaw  very  nearly  fell  out  of  joint,  and  then 
he  sighed  so  deeply,  that  the  giant  Snap-'em-up  heard  the 
sound  as  he  passed  along  the  road  after  breakfast,  and  in- 
stantly stepped  into  the  garden,  with  his  glass  at  his  eye,  to 
see  what  was  the  matter.  Immediately  on  observing  a  large, 
fat,  over-grown  boy,  as  round  as  a  dumpling,  lying  on  a  bed 
of  roses,  he  gave  a  cry  of  delight,  followed  by  a  gigantic  peal 
of  laughter,  which  was  heard  three  miles  off",  and  picking  up 
Master  No-book  between  his  finger  and  his  thumb,  with  a 
pinch  that  very  nearly  broke  his  ribs,  he  carried  him  rapid- 
ly towards  his  own  castle,  while  the  fairy  Do-nothing  laugh- 
ingly shook  her  head  as  he  passed,  saying,  "  That  little  man 
does  me  great  credit ! — he  has  only  been  fed  for  a  week, 
and  is  as  fat  already  as  a  prize  ox  !  What  a  dainty  morsel 
he  will  be  !  When  do  you  dine  to-day,  in  case  I  should 
have  time  to  look  in  upon  you  1" 

On  reaching  home,  the  giant  immediately  hung  up  Mas- 
ter No-book  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  on  a  prodigious  hook 
in  the  larder,  having  first  taken  some  large  lumps  of  nasty 
suet,  forcing  them  down  his  throat  to  make  him  become 

ra2 


138 


THE    WONPERFUI,    STORT. 


still  futtor,  and  then  stirring  the  fire,  that  he  might  be  almost 
melted  with  heat,  to  make  his  liver  grow  larger.  On  a 
shelf  quite  near,  Master  No-book  perceived  the  dead  bodies 
of  six  other  boys,  whom  he  remembered  to  have  seen  fat- 
tening in  the  Jhiry  Do-nothing's  garden,  while  he  recol- 
lected how  some  of  them  had  rejoiced  at  the  tlioiights  of 
leading  a  long,  useless,  idle  life,  with  no  one  to  please  but 
themselves. 

The  enormous  cook  now  seized  hold  of  Master  No-book, 
brandishing  her  knife,  with  an  aspect  of  horrible  determi- 
nation, intending  to  kill  him,  while  he  took  the  trouble  of 
screaming  and  kicking  in  the  most  desperate  manner,  when 
the  giant  turned  gravely  round  and  said,  that  as  pigs  were 
considered  a  much  greater  dainty  when  whipped  to  death 
than  killed  in  any  other  way,  he  meant  to  see  whether  chil- 
dren might  not  be  improved  by  it  also  ;  therefore  she  might 
leave  that  great  hog  of  a  boy  till  he  had  time  to  try  the  ex- 
periment, especially  as  his  own  appetite  would  be  improved 
by  the  exercise.  This  was  a  dreadful  ]>rospect  for  the  un- 
happy prisoner  ;  but  meantime  it  prolonged  his  life  a  few 
hours,  as  he  was  immediately  hung  up  again  in  the  larder, 
and  left  to  himself.  There,  in  torture  of  mind  and  body, — 
like  a  fish  upon  a  hook, — the  wretched  boy  began  at  last  to 
reflect  seriously  upon  his  former  ways,  and  to  consider 
what  a  happy  home  he  might  have  had,  if  he  could  only 
have  been  satisfied  with  business  and  pleasure  succeeding 
each  other,  like  day  and  night,  while  lessons  might  havo 
come  in,  as  a  pleasant  sauce  to  his  play-hours,  and  his  play- 
hours  as  a  sauce  to  his  lessons. 

In  the  midst  of  many  reflections,  which  were  nil  very 
sensible,  though  rather  too  lafo.  Master  No-book's  attention 
became  attracted  by  the  sound  of  many  voices  laughing, 
talking  n'"!  winginir,  whieh  causcil  him  to  turn  his  eyes  in 
a  new  direction,  when,  for  (he  first  time,  he  observed  that 
he  fairy  Teach-all's  garden   lay  upon  a  beautiful  sloping 


THE    WONDERFUL    STORY.  139 

bank  not  far  off.  There  a  crowd  of  merry,  noisy,  rosy- 
cheeked  boys,  were  busily  employed,  and  seemed  happier 
than  the  day  was  long  ;  while  poor  Master  No-book  watch- 
ed them  during  his  own  miserable  hours,  envying  the  en- 
joyment with  which  they  raked  the  flower-borders,  gathered 
the  fruit,  carried  baskets  of  vegetables  to  the  poor,  worked 
with  carpenters'  tools,  drew  pictures,  shot  with  bows  and 
arrows,  played  at  cricket,  and  then  sat  in  the  sunny  arbours 
learning  their  tasks,  or  talking  agreeably  together,  till  at 
length,  a  dinner-bell  having  been  rung,  the  whole  party 
sat  merrily  down  with  hearty  appetites,  and  cheerful  good- 
humour,  to  an  entertainment  of  plain  roast  meat  and  pud- 
ding, where  the  fairy  Teach-all  presided  herself,  and  helped 
her  guests  moderately,  to  as  much  as  was  good  for  each. 

Large  tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  Master  No-book 
while  watching  this  scene  ;  and  remembering  that  if  he 
had  known  what  was  best  for  him,  he  might  have  been  as 
happy  as  the  happiest  of  these  excellent  boys,  instead  of 
suffering  ennui  and  weariness,  as  he  had  done  at  the  fairy 
Do-nothing's,  ending  in  a  miserable  death  ;  but  his  atten- 
tion was  soon  after  most  alarmingly  roused  by  hearing  the 
giant  Snap-'em-up  again  in  conversation  with  his  cook, 
who  said,  that  if  he  wished  for  a  good  large  dish  of  scol- 
loped children  at  dinner,  it  would  be  necessary  to  catch  a 
few  more,  as  those  he  had  already  provided  would  scarcely 
be  a  mouthful. 

As  the  giant  kept  very  fashionable  hours,  and  always 
waited  dinner  for  himself  till  nine  o'clock,  there  was  still 
plenty  of  time ;  so,  with  a  loud  grumble  about  the  trou- 
ble, he  seized  a  large  basket  in  his  hand,  and  set  off  at 
a  rapid  pace  towards  the  fairy  Teach-all's  garden.  It  was 
very  seldom  that  Snap-'em-up  ventured  to  think  of  foraging 
in  this  direction,  as  he  had  never  once  succeeded  in  carry- 
ing off  a  single  captive  from  the  enclosure,  it  was  so  well 
fortified  and  so  bravely  defended  ;  but  on  this  occasion,  be- 


HO  THE  WONDERFUL    STOUT. 

ing  dssperatoly  hungry,  he  felt  as  bolil  ns  a  lion,  and  walk- 
ed, with  outstretched  hands,  straight  towards  the  fairy 
Teach-all's  dinner-table,  taking  such  prodigious  strides,  that 
he  seemed  almost  as  if  he  would  trample  on  himself. 

A  cry  of  constcruatioa  arose  the  instant  this  tremendous 
giant  appeared  ;  and  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  when  lie 
had  made  the  same  attempt  before,  a  dreadful  battle  took 
place.  Fifty  active  little  boys  bravely  flew  upon  the  enemy, 
armed  with  their  dinner  knives,  and  looked  like  a  nest  of 
hornet',  stinging  him  in  every  direction,  till  he  roared  with 
pain,  and  would  have  run  away,  but  the  fairy  Teach-all, 
seeing  his  intention,  rushed  forward  with  the  carving  knife, 
and  brandishing  it  high  over  her  head,  she  most  courage- 
ously stabbed  him  to  the  heart ! 

If  a  great  mountain  had  fallen  to  the  earth,  it  would  have 
seemed  like  nothing  in  comparison  of  the  giant  Suap-'em- 
up,  who  crushed  two  or  three  houses  to  powder  bcncatli 
him,  and  upset  several  fine  monuments  that  were  to  have 
made  people  retiiombercd  for  ever  ;  i)ut  all  this  would  have 
seemed  scarcely  worth  mentioning,  had  it  not  been  for  a 
still  greater  event  which  occurred  on  the  occnsion,  no  less 
than  the  death  of  the  fairy  Do-nothing,  who  had  been  indo- 
lently looking  on  at  this  great  battle,  without  taking  tho 
trouble  to  interfere,  or  even  to  care  who  was  victorious,  but, 
being  also  lazy  about  running  away,  when  the  giant  fell,  hU 
sword  came  with  so  violent  a  stroke  on  her  head,  that  sho 
instantly  expired. 

Thus,  luckily  for  the  whole  world,  the  fairy  Teach-all 
got  possession  of  immense  property,  which  she  jirocceded 
without  delay  to  make  the  best  use  of  in  her  power. 

In  the  first  place,  however,  she  lost  no  time  in  liberating 
Master  No-book  from  his  hook  in  the  larder,  and  gave  him 
a  lecture  on  activity,  moderation,  and  good  conduct,  which 
he  never  nflorwards  forgot;  and  it  was  astonishing  to  seo 
the  change  that  took  place  immediately  in  his  whole  thoughta 


THE    WONDERFUL    STOUT.  141 

and  actions.  From  this  very  hour,  Master  No-book  be- 
came the  most  diligent,  active,  happy  boy  in  the  fairy 
Teach-all's  garden  ;  and  on  returning  home  a  month  after- 
wards, he  astonished  all  the  masters  at  school  by  his  extra- 
ordinary reformation.  The  most  difficult  lessons  were  a 
pleasure  to  him, — he  scarcely  ever  stirred  without  a  book  in 
his  hand, — never  lay  on  a  sofa  again, — would  scarcely  even 
sit  on  a  chair  with  a  back  to  it,  but  preferred  a  three-legged 
stool, — detested  holidays, — never  thought  any  exertion  a 
trouble, — preferred  climbing  over  the  top  of  a  hill  to  creep- 
ing round  the  bottom, — always  ate  the  plainest  food  in  very 
small  quantities, — joined  a  Temperance  Society  ! — and  nev- 
er tasted  a  morsel  till  he  had  worked  very  hard  and  got  au 
appetite. 

Not  long  after  this,  an  old  uncle,  who  had  formerly  been 
ashamed  of  Master  No-book's  indolence  and  gluttony,  be- 
came so  pleased  at  the  Avonderful  change,  that,  on  his  death, 
he  left  him  a  magnificent  estate,  desiring  that  he  should  take 
his  name ;  therefore,  instead  of  being  any  longer  one  of 
the  No-book  family,  he  is  now  called  Sir  Timothy  Blue- 
stocking,— a  pattern  to  the  whole  country  round,  for  the 
good  he  does  to  every  one,  and  especially  for  his  extraordi- 
nary activity,  appearing  as  if  he  could  do  twenty  things  at 
once.  Though  generally  very  good-natured  and  agreeable. 
Sir  Timothy  is  occasionally  observed  in  a  violent  passion, 
laying  about  him  with  his  walking-stick  in  the  most  terrific 
manner,  and  beating  little  boys  Avithin  an  inch  of  their 
lives ;  but  on  inquiry,  it  invariably  appears  that  he  has 
found  them  out  to  be  lazy,  idle,  or  greedy,  for  all  the  indus- 
ijious  boys  in  the  parish  are  sent  to  get  employment  from 
tiim,  while  he  assures  them  that  they  are  far  happier  break- 
ing stones  on  the  road,  than  if  they  were  sitting  idly  in  a 
drawing-room  with  nothing  to  do.  Sir  Timothy  cares  very 
little  for  poetry  in  general  ;  but  the  following  are  his  favour- 
ite verses,  which  he  has  placed  over  the  chimney-piece  at  a 


142  THE    WONDERFUL    STORT. 

school  that  he  built  for  the  poor,  and  every  scholar  is  obliged, 
the  very  day  he  begins  his  education,  to  learn  thcin  :  — 

Some  people  complain  ihcy  have  nothing  to  do, 
And  time  passes  slowly  away  ; 
They  saunter  about  with  no  object  in  view, 
And  long  for  the  end  of  the  day. 

In  vain  are  the  trifles  and  toys  they  desire, 
For  nothing  they  truly  enjoy  ; 
Of  trifles,  and  toys,  and  amusements  they  tire, 
For  want  of  some  useful  employ. 

Although  for  transgression  the  ground  was  accursed, 
Yet  gratefully  man  must  allow, 
'Twas  really  a  blessing  which  doom'd  him  at  first. 
To  live  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 

Nursery  Riivmes: 

<'  Thank  you,  a  hundred  times  over,  uncle  David !"  said 
Harry,  when  the  story  was  finished.  '^  I  shall  'take  care 
not  to  be  found  hanging  any  day  on  a  hook  in  the  larder  ? 
Certainly,  Frank,  you  muat  have  spent  a  month  with  the 
good  fairy  ;  and  I  hope  she  will  some  day  invite  me  to  bo 
made  a  scholar  of  too,  for  Laura  and  I  still  belong  to  tho 
No-book  family." 

*'  It  is  very  important,  Harry,  to  choose  the  best  course 
from  the  beginning,"  observed  Lady  Harriot.  "  Good  or 
bad  habits  grow  strong<;r  and  stronger  every  minute,  as  if 
an  additional  string  were  tied  on  daily,  to  keep  us  in  the 
rfiad  where  we  walked  the  day  before  ;  so  those  who  mistake 
the  path  of  duty  at  first,  find  hourly  increasing  difliculty  in 
turning  round." 

"  IJut,  grandmama!"  said  Frank,  "  yoti  have  put  up  some 
finger-posts  to  direct  us  right;  and  whenever  1  see  'no 
passage  this  way,'  we  shall  all  wheel  about  directly." 

*'  As  Mrs.  Crablrec  has  not  tapped  at  the  door  yet,  I 
shall  describe  the  progress  of  a  wise,  and  a  foolish  man,  to 


THE    WONDERFUL    STORT.  143 

see  which  Harry  and  you  would  prefer  copying,"  replied 
Lady  Harriet,  smiling.     "  The  fool  begins,  when   he   is 
young,  with  hating  lessons,  lying  long  in  bed,  and  spend- 
ing all  his  money  on  trash.     Any  books  he  will  consent  to 
read,  are  never  about  what  is  true  or  important ;  but  he 
wastes  all  his. time  and  thoughts  on  silly  stories  that  never 
could  have  happened.     Thus  he  neglects  to  learn  what  was 
done,  and  thought,  by  all  the  great  and  good  men  who  really 
lived  in  former  times,  while  even  his  Bible,  if  he  has  one, 
grows    dusty   on   the    shelf.     After   so   bad  a  beginning, 
he   grows  up  with    no    useful  or  interesting   knowledge  ; 
therefore  his  whole  talk  is  to  describe  his  own  horses,  his 
own  dogs,  his  own  guns,  and  his  own  exploits  ;  boasting 
of  what  a  high  wall  his  horse  can  leap  over,  the  number  of 
little  birds  he  can  shoot  in  a  day,  and  how  many  bottles  of 
wine  he  can  swallow  without  tumbling  under  the  table. 
Thus,  '  glorying  in  his  shame,'  he  thinks  himself  a  most 
wonderful  person,  not  knowing  that  men   are  born  to   do 
much  better  things  than  merely  to  find  selfish  pleasure  and 
amusement  for  themselves.     Presently  he  grows  old,  gouty, 
and  infirm — no  longer  able  to  do  such  prodigious  achieve- 
ments ;  therefore  now  his  great  delight   is,  to  sit  with  his 
feet  upon  the  fender,  at  a  club  all  day,  telling  what  a  famous 
rider,  shooter,  and  drinker,  he  was  long  ago  ;  but  nobody 
cares   to   hear  such  old   stories  ;   therefore   he   is   called   a 
'  proser,'  and  every  person  avoids  him.     It  is  no  wonder 
a  man  talks  about  himself,  if  he  has  never  read  or  thought 
about  any  one  else.     But  at  length  his  precious  time  has  all 
been  wasted,  and  his  last  hour  comes,  during  which  he  can 
have  nothing  to  look  back  upon  but  a  life  of  folly  and  guilt. 
He  sees   no  one  around  who  loves  him,  or  will  weep  over 
his   grave ;  and  when   he  looks  forward,  it   is   towards   an 
eternal  world  which  he  has  never  prepaied  to  enter,  and  of 
which  he  knows  nothing." 

"  What  a  terrible  picture,  grandmama !"    said   Frank, 


144  THE    WONDERFUL    STOUV. 

rather  gravely.  "  I  hope  there  are  not  many  people  like 
that,  or  it  would  be  very  sad  to  meet  with  them.  Now  pray 
let  us  have  a  pleasantcr  description  of  the  sort  of  persons 
you  would  like  Harry  and  mc  to  become." 

"  The  firiit  foundation  of  all  is,  as  you  already  know, 
Frank,  to  pray  that  you  may  be  put  in  the  right  course  and 
kept  in  it,  for  of  ourselves  we  are  so  sinful  and  weak  that 
we  can  do  no  good  thine:.  Then  feeling  a  full  trust  in  the 
Divine  assistance,  you  must  begin  and  end  every  day  with 
studying  your  Bible,  not  merely  reading  it,  but  carefully 
endeavouring  to  understand  and  obey  what  it  contains. 
Our  leisure  should  be  bestowed  on  reading  of  wiser  and 
better  people  than  ourselves,  which  will  keep  us  humble 
while  it  instructs  our  understandings,  and  thus  we  shall  be 
fitted  to  associate  with  persons  whose  society  is  even  better 
than  books.  Christians  who  are  enlightened  and  sanctified 
in  the  knowledge  of  all  good  things,  will  show  us  an  exam- 
ple of  carefully  using  our  time,  which  is  the  most  valuable 
of  all  earthly  possessions.  If  we  waste  our  money,  we  may 
perhaps  get  more — if  we  lose  our  health,  it  may  be  restored 
— but  time  squandered  on  tbily,  nnist  hereafter  be  answered 
for,  and  can  never  be  regained,  ^^hatever  be  your  station 
ID  life,  waste  none  of  your  thoughts  upon  fancying  how 
much  better  you  might  have  acted  in  some  other  person's 
place,  but  see  what  duties  belong  to  that  station  in  which 
you  live,  and  do  what  that  retjuircs  with  activity  and  dili- 
gence. When  we  arc  called  to  give  an  account  of  our 
stewardship,  let  us  not  have  to  confess  at  the  last  that  we 
wasted  our  one  talent,  because  wo  wished  to  have  been 
trusted  with  ten  ;  but  bt  us  prepare  to  render  up  what  was 
given  to  us,  with  joy  and  thankfulness,  perfectly  satisfied 
that  the  best  place  in  life  is  where  Ciod  appoints,  and  where 
lie  will  guide  us  to  a  safe  and  peaceful  end." 

"Yes!"  added  Major  Graham.     "You  have  two  eyes  in 
your  minds  as  well  as  in  your  bodies.     With  one  of  tliese 


THE    WONDiniFUL    STORY.  145 

wc  see  all  that  is  good  or  agreeable  in  our  lot — with  the 
other  we  see  all  that  is  unpleasant  or  disappointing,  and  you 
may  generally  choose  which  eye  to  keep  open.  Some  of 
my  friends  always  peevishly  look  at  the  troubles  and  vexa- 
tions they  endure,  but  they  might  turn  them  into  good,  by 
considering  that  every  circumstance  is  sent  from  the  same 
hand,  with  the  same  merciful  purpose — to  make  us  better 
now  and  happier  hereafter." 

"  Well !  my  dear  children,"  said  Lady  Harriet,  "  it  is  time 
now  for  retiring  to  Bedfordshire  ;   so  good  night." 

"If  you  please,  grandmama!  not  yet,"  asked  Harry,  anx- 
iously.    "  Give  us  five  minutes  longer  !" 

"  xVnd  then  in  the  morning  you  will  want  to  remain  five 
minutes  more  in  bed.  That  is  the  way  people  learn  to  keep 
such  dreadfully  late  hours  at  last,  Harry  !  I  knew  one  very 
rich  old  gentleman  formerly,  who  always  wished  to  sit  up  a 
little  later  every  night,  and  to  get  up  a  little  later  in  the 
morning,  till  at  length,  he  ended  by  hiring  a  set  of  servants 
to  rise  at  nine  in  the  evening,  as  he  did  himself,  and  to 
remain  in  bed  all  day." 

"  People  should  regulate  their  sleep  very  conscientiously," 
added  Major  Graham,  "so  as  to  waste  as  little  time  as  pos- 
sible ;  and  our  good  king  George  IH.  set  us  the  example, 
for  he  remarked,  that  six  hours  in  the  night  were  quite 
enough  for  a  man — seven  hours  for  a  woman,  and  eight  for 
a  fool.  Or  perhaps,  Harry,  you  might  like  to  live  by  Sir 
William  Jones'  rule : 

'  Six  hours  to  read,  to  soothing  slumber  seven, 
Ten  to  the  world  allot— and  all  to  Heaven.'  " 


N 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  ILLUMINATION. 

A  neighbour's  house  he'd  slyly  pass, 
And  throw  a  slonc  lo  break  the  glass. 

One  fine  morning  in  Charlotte  Square,  Peter  Grey  per- 
suaded a  party  of  his  companions  to  spend  all  the  money 
they  had  on  cakes  and  sugar-plums,  to  make  a  splendid  en- 
tertainment under  the  trees,  where  they  were  to  sit  like  a 
horde  of  gypsies,  and  anuise  themselves  with  telling  fortunes 
to  each  other.  Harry  and  Laura  had  no  one  with  them  but 
Betty,  who  gladly  joined  a  group  of  nursery-maids  at  a  dis- 
tance, leaving  them  to  their  own  devices;  upon  which  they 
rushed  up  to  Peter  and  offered  tlieir  assistance,  subscribing 
all  their  pocket-money,  and  begifing  him  to  set  forth  and 
j)btain  provisions  for  them  ;is  well  as  for  himself.  Neither 
Harry  nor  Laura  cared  for  eating  the  trash  that  was  collect- 
ed on  this  occasion,  and  would  have  been  quite  as  well 
plea.sed  to  distribute  it  among  their  conipanions;  but  they 
both  enjoyed  extremely  the  bustle  of  arranging  this  elegant 
dcjcime,  or  "  f/».i/H«e,"  as  Peter  called  it.  Harry  gathered 
leaves  off  the  trees  to  represent  plates,  on  each  of  which 
Peter  arranged  some  of  the  fruit  or  sweetmeats  he  had  pur- 
chased, while  they  placed  i)eiiches  together  as  a  table,  and 
borrowed  lAuira's  white  India  shawl  for  a  table-cloth. 

*'  It  looks  like  that  grand  public  dinner  we  saw  at  the  As- 


THE    ILLUMINATION.  147 

sembly  Rooms  one  day  !"  exclaimed  Hany,  in  an  ecstacy 
of  admiration.  "We  must  liave  speeches  and  toasts  like 
real  gentlemen  and  officers.  Peter  I  if  you  will  make  a  fine 
oration,  full  of  compliments  to  me,  I  shall  say  something  won- 
derful about  you,  and  then  Laura  must  beat  upon  the  table 
with  a  stick,  to  show  that  she  agrees  to  all  that  we  observe 
in  praise  of  each  other." 

"  Or  suppose  we  all  take  the  names  of  some  great  per- 
sonages," added  Peter,  "  I  shall  be  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
and  Laura,  you  must  be  Joseph  Hume,  and  Harry,  you  are 
Sir  Francis  Burdett,  that  we  may  seem  as  different  as  possi- 
ble ;  but  here  comes  the  usher  of  the  black  rod  to  disperse 
us  all  !  Mrs.  Crabtree  hurrying  into  the  square,  her  very 
gown  flaming  with  rage  !  what  can  be  the  matter  !  she 
must  have  smelled  the  sugar-plums  a  mile  off !  one  comfort 
is,  if  Harry  and  Laura  are  taken  away,  we  shall  have  the 
fewer  people  to  divide  these  cakes  among,  and  I  could  de- 
vour every  one  of  them,  for  my  own  share." 

Before  Peter  finished  speaking,  Mrs.  Crabtree  had  come 
close  up  to  the  table,  and  without  waiting  to  utter  a  word, 
or  even  to  scold,  she  twitched  up  Laura's  shawl  in  her  hand, 
and  thus  scattered  the  whole  feast  in  every  direction  on  the 
ground,  after  which  she  trampled  the  sugar-plums  and  cakes 
into  the  earth,  saying, 

"I  knew  how  it  would  be,  as  soon  as  I  saw  whose  com- 
pany you  were  in.  Master  Harry  !  Peter  Grey  is  the  father 
of  mischief !  he  ought  to  be  put  into  the  monkey's  cage  at 
the  Geological  gardens !  I  would  not  be  your  maid.  Master 
Grey,  for  a  hundred  a-year." 

"  You  would  need  to  buy  a  thrashing  machine  immediate- 
ly," said  Peter,  laughing  ;  "  what  a  fine  time  I  should  have  of 
it  I  you  would  scarcely  allow  me,  I  suppose,  to  blow  my  por- 
ridge !  how  long  would  it  take  you,  Mrs.  Crabtree,  to  make 
quite  a  perfectly  good  boy  of  me  1     Perhaps  a  month,  do 


148  TUC    II.I.l'MlNATION. 

you  tliink  1  or  to  make  mc  as  good  as  Frank,  it  might  pos- 
sibly require  six  weeks." 

"  Six  weeks !"  answered  Mrs,  Crabtrce  ;  "  six  years,  or 
sixty,  would  be  too  short.  Yuu  are  no  more  like  Mr. 
Frank  than  a  shilling  is  to  a  guinea,  or  a  wax  light  to  a 
dip.  It"  the  news  were  told  that  you  had  been  a  good  boy 
for  a  single  day,  the  very  slalnies  in  the  streets  would  come 
running  along  to  see  the  wonder.  No  !  no  !  I  have  ob- 
served many  surprising  things  in  my  day,  but  them  great 
pyramuses  in  Egypt  will  turn  upside  down  before  you  turu 
like  Mr.  Frank." 

Some  days  after  this  advcntiue  of  Harry  and  Laura's, 
there  arrived  new.spajicrs  from  London  containing  accounts 
of  a  great  battle  which  had  been  fought  abroad.  On  that 
occasion  the  British  troops  of  course  performed  prodigies  of 
valour,  and  completely  conquered  the  enemy,  in  consequence 
of  which,  it  was  ordered  by  government,  that,  in  every  town, 
and  every  village,  and  every  ho\isc  throughout  the  whole 
kingdom,  there  should  bo  a  grand  illumination. 

Neither  Harry  nor  Laura  had  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing 
as  an  illumination  before,  and  they  were  full  of  curiosity  to 
know  what  it  was  like ;  but  their  very  faces  became  lighted 
up  with  joy,  when  Major  Graham  described  that  they  would 
sec  crowds  of  candles  flaming  in  every  window,  tar-barrels 
bla/ing  on  every  hill,  flambeaux  glaring  at  the  doors,  and 
transparencies,  tire-works,  and  coloured  lumps  shining  in 
all  the  streets. 

"  How  delightful  !  and  walking  out  in  the  dark  to  see  it," 
cried  Harry;  "that  will  be  best  of  all  I  <>li  !  and  a  whole 
holiday  !  I  hardly  know  whether  I  am  in  my  right  wits,  or 
my  wnjng  wiLs,  for  joy  !  I  wish  wc  gained  a  victory  every 
day  1" 

*'  What  a  warrior  you  would  be,  Harry  !  Cu'sar  was  noth- 
ijig  to  you,"  said  Frank.     "•  \Vu  might  be  satisfied  with  one 


THE    ILLUMINATION.  149 

good  battle  in  a  year,  considering  how  many  are  killed  and 
wounded." 

"  Yes,  but  I  hope  all  the  wounded  soldiers  will  recover." 

"  Or  get  pensions,"^  added  uncle  David.  "  It  is  a  grand 
sight,  Frank,  to  see  a  whole  nation  rejoicing  at  once  !  In 
general,  when  you  walk  out  and  meet  fifty  persons  in  tho 
street,  they  are  all  thinking  of  fifty  different  things,  and 
each  intent  on  some  business  of  his  own,  but  on  this  oc- 
casion all  are  of  one  mind  and  one  heart." 

Frank  and  Harry  were  allowed  to  nail  a  dozen  of  littlo 
candlesticks  upon  each  window  in  the  house,  which  delight- 
ed them  exceedingly,  and  then,  before  every  pane  of  glass, 
they  placed  a  tall  candle,  impatiently  longing  for  the  time 
when  these  were  to  be  illuminated.  Laura  was  allowed  to 
carry  a  match,  and  assist  in  lighting  them,  but  in  the  excess 
of  her  joy,  she  very  nearly  made  a  bonfire  of  herself,  as  her 
frock  took  fire,  and  would  soon  have  been  in  a  blaze,  if 
Frank  had  not  hastily  seized  a  large  rug  and  rolled  it  round 
her. 

In  every  house  within  sight,  servants  and  children  were 
to  be  seen  hurrying  about  with  burning  matches,  while  hun- 
dreds of  lights  blazed  up  in  a  moment,  looking  as  if  all  the 
houses  in  town  had  taken  fire. 

"  Such  a  waste  of  candles  !"  said  Mrs.  Crabtree,  angrily  ; 
"  can't  people  be  happy  in  the  dark  !" 

"  No,  Mrs.  Crabtree !"  answered  Frank,  laughing. 
"  They  cannot  be  happy  in  the  dark  !  People's  spirits  are 
always  in  exact  proportion  to  the  number  of  lights.  If  you 
ever  feel  dull  with  one  candle,  light  another  ;  and  if  that 
does  not  do,  try  a  third,  or  a  fourth,  till  you  feel  merry  and 
cheerful.  We  must  not  let  you  be  candle-snuffer  to-night, 
or  you  will  be  putting  them  all  out.  You  would  snuff  out 
the  sun  itself,  to  save  a  shilling." 

"  The  windows  might  perhaps  be  broken,"  added  Laura  ; 
"  for  whatever  pane  of  glass  does  not  exhibit  a  candle,  is  to 

n  2 


150  THE    II.I.t;MI>ATION. 

have  a  stone  sent  through  it.  Harry  says  the  mob  are  all 
glaziers,  who  break  thcni  on  purpose  to  mend  the  damage 
next  day,  which  they  will  be  paid  handsomely  for  doing." 

There  were  many  happy,  joyous  faces,  to  be  seen  that 
evening  in  the  streets,  admiring  the  splendid  illumination  ; 
but  the  merriest  party  of  all,  was  composed  of  Frank,  Har- 
ry, and  Laura,  under  the  command  of  uncle  David,  who  had 
lately  sulTercd  from  a  severe  fit  of  the  gout ;  but  it  seemed 
to  have  left  him  this  night,  in  honour  of  the  great  victory, 
when  he  appeared  quite  as  much  a  boy  as  either  of  his  two 
companions.  For  many  hours  they  walked  about  in  the 
streets,  ga/.ing  up  at  the  glittering  windows,  some  of  which 
looked  as  if  a  constellation  of  stars  had  come  down  for  a 
night  to  adorn  them  ;  and  others  were  filled  with  the  most 
beautiful  pictures  of  Britannia  carrying  the  world  on  her 
!»houlders  ;  or  Mars  showering  down  wreaths  of  laurel  on 
the  Duke  of  AVellington,  while  victory  was  sitting  at  his 
feet,  and  fame  blowing  a  trunjpct  at  his  ear.  Harry  thought 
these  paintings  finer  than  any  he  had  ever  seen  before,  and 
stood  for  some  moments  entranced  with  admiration,  on  be- 
holding a  representation  in  red,  blue,  yellow,  and  black,  of 
Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America,  all  doing  homage  to  St. 
George  mounted  on  a  dnigon,  which  breathed  out  fire  and 
smoke  like  a  steam-boat.  Nothing,  however,  occasioned 
the  party  such  a  i)urst  of  delightful  surprise,  as  when  they 
first  beheld  the  line  of  blazing  windows  more  than  a  mile 
long,  from  the  bottom  of  the  Canongate  to  the  highest  pin- 
nacle of  the  Castle,  where  they  seemed  almost  to  meet  the 
stars  whining  above,  in  their  perpetual  glory,  "  You  see," 
remarked  Major  Graham,  when  he  pointed  them  out  to  his 
young  companions,  "  there  is  a  fit  emblem  of  the  difference 
between  earth  and  heaven.  These  lights  are  nearer  and 
brighter  to  us  at  present ;  but  when  tlicy  have  blazed  and 
glittered  for  one  little  hour,  they  come  to  an  end  ;  whilo 
those  above,  which   we  see  so  dimly  now,  will  continue  to 


THE    ILLUMINATION.  151 

shine  for  ages  and  generations  hereafter,  till  time  itself  is 
no  more." 

Occasionally,  during  their  progress,  Harry  felt  very  in- 
dignant to  observe  a  few  houses  perfectly  dark  ;  and  whe- 
ther the  family  were  sick,  or  out  of  town,  or  whatever  the 
reason  might  be,  he  scarcely  became  sorry  when  a  frequent 
crash  might  be  heard,  as  the  mob,  determined  to  have  their 
own  way  this  night,  aimed  showers  of  stones  at  the  offend- 
ing windows,  till  the  very  frames  seemed  in  danger  of  be- 
ing broken.  At  last  uncle  David  led  his  joyous  little  party 
into  Castle  Street,  in  which  not  a  light  v/as  to  be  seen,  and 
every  blind  seemed  carefully  closed.  A  crowd  had  assem- 
bled, with  an  evident  intention  to  attack  these  melancholy 
houses,  when  Major  Graham  suddenly  caught  hold  of  Har- 
ry's arm,  on  observing  that  he  had  privately  picked  up  a 
large  stone,  which  he  was  in  the  very  act  of  throwing  with 
his  whole  force  at  one  of  the  defenceless  windows.  And 
now  the  whole  party  stood  stock  still,  while  uncle  David 
said  in  a  very  angry  and  serious  voice, 

"  Harry  !  you  heedless,  mischievous  boy  !  will  you  never 
learn  to  consider  a  moment  before  you  do  what  is  ^vrong  ? 
I  am  exceedingly  displeased  with  you  for  this  !  'V\1iat  busi- 
ness is  it  of  yours  whether  that  house  be  lighted  up  or 
not  ?" 

"But,  uncle  David  !  surely  it  is  very  wrong  not  to  obey 
the  government,  and  to  be  happy  like  everybody  else  !  Be- 
sides, you  see  the  mob  will  break  those  windows  at  any 
rate,  so  it  is  no  matter  if  I  help  them." 

"  Then,  for  the  same  reason,  if  they  were  setting  the 
house  on  fire,  I  suppose  you  would  assist  the  conflagration, 
Harry.  Your  excuse  is  a  very  bad  one  ;  and  when  you 
hear  what  I  have  to  say  about  this  house,  let  it  be  a  lesson  for 
the  rest  of  your  life,  never  to  judge  hastily,  nor  to  act  rashly. 
The  officer  to  whom  it  belonged,  has  been  killed  in  the  great 
battle  abroad  ;  and  while  we  are  rejoicing  in  the  victory 


152  THE    ILLUMINATION. 

that  his  bravery  helped  to  gain,  his  widow  and  children  are 
weeping  within  those  walls,  for  the  hushand  and  father  who 
lies  buried  on  a  foreign  shore.  Think  what  a  contrast  these 
shouts  of  joy  must  be  to  tlieir  grief." 

"  Oh,  uncle  David  !  how  sorry  I  am  !"  said  Harry.  "  I 
deserve  to  go  home  this  moment,  and  not  to  sec  a  candle 
again  for  a  week.  It  was  very  wrong  of  me  indeed.  I  shall 
walk  all  the  way  home,  with  my  eyes  shut,  if  you  will  only 
excuse  me." 

"  No,  no,  Harry !  that  is  not  necessary  !  If  the  eyes  of 
your  mind  are  open,  to  see  that  you  have  acted  amiss,  then 
try  to  behave  better  in  future.  When  people  are  happy 
themselves,  they  are  too  apt  to  forget  that  others  may  be  in 
distress,  and  ol\cn  feci  quite  surprised  and  provoked  at 
those  who  appear  melancholy  ;  but  our  turn  must  come  like 
theirs.  Life  is  made  up  of  sunshine  and  shadow,  both  of 
which  are  sent  for  our  good,  and  neither  of  them  last,  in 
this  world,  for  ever;  but  we  should  borrow  part  of  our  joys, 
and  part  of  our  sorrows,  from  sympathy  with  all  those  we 
see  or  know,  which  will  moderate  the  excess  of  whatever  is 
our  own  portion  in  life." 

At  this  moment,  the  mob,  which  had  been  gradually  in- 
creasing, gave  a  tremendous  shout,  and  were  on  the  point  of 
throwing  a  torrent  of  stones  at  the  dark,  mournful  house,  which 
had  made  so  narrow  an  escape  from  Harry's  vengeance,  when 
Major  Graham,  forgetting  his  gfiut,  hastily  sprung  upon  a 
lamp-post,  and  calling  fur  attention,  he  made  a  speech  to 

the  crowd,  telling  of  the  brave  Captain  D who  had  died 

for  his  country,  covered  with  wounds,  and  that  his  mourn- 
ing family  was  asseitiblcd  in  that  house.  Instantly  the  mob 
became  as  sileiit  and  motionless  as  if  they  had  themselves 
been  turned  into  stones ;  after  which  they  gradually  stole 
away,  with  downcast  eyes,  and  mournful  countenances  ; 
while  it  is  bflicvcd  that  some  riotous  people,  who  had  been 
loudest  and  fiercest  at  first,  allerwards  stood  at  the  top  of  tho 


THE    ILLUMINATION.  163 

little  street  like  sentinels,  for  more  than  an  hour,  to  warn 
every  one  who  passed,  that  he  should  go  silently  along,  in 
respect  for  the  memory  of  a  brave  and  good  officer.  Not 
another  shout  was  heard  in  the  neighbourhood  that  night ; 
and  many  a  merry  laugh  was  suddenly  checked  from  rever- 
ence for  the  memory  of  the  dead,  and  the  sorrow  of  the  liv- 
ing ;  while  some  spectators  remarked,  with  a  sigh  of  me- 
lancholy reflection,  that  men  must  ever  join  trembling  with 
their  mirth,  because  even  in  the  midst  of  life  they  are  in 
death. 

"  If  we  feel  so  much  sorrow  for  this  one  officer  and  his 
family,  it  shows,"  said  Frank,  "what  a  dreadful  thing  war  ia, 
which  costs  the  lives  of  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  in 
every  campaign,  by  sickness  and  fatigue,  and  the  other 
sources  of  misery  that  accompany  every  army." 

"  Yes,  Frank  !  and  yet  there  has  scarcely  been  a  year  on 
earth,  while  the  world  has  existed,  without  fighting  in  some 
country  or  another,  for,  since  the  time  when  Cain  killed 
Abel,  men  have  been  continually  destroying  each  other. 
Animals  only  fight  in  temporary  irritation  when  they  are 
hungry,  but  pride,  ambition,  and  folly  of  every  kind,  have 
caused  men  to  hate  and  massacre  each  other.  Even  reli- 
gion itself  has  caused  the  fiercest  and  most  bloody  conflicts, 
though,  if  that  were  only  understood  and  obeyed  as  it  ought 
to  be,  the  great  trutPis  of  Scripture  would  produce  peace  ou 
earth,  and  good-will  among  all  the  children  of  men." 

The  whole  party  had  been  standing  for  some  minutes  op- 
posite to  the  post-office,  which  looked  like  a  rainbow  of  co- 
loured lamps,  and  Harry  was  beginning,  for  the  twentieth 
time,  to  try  if  he  could  count  how  many  there  were,  when 
Major  Graham  felt  something  twitching  hold  of  his  coat 
pocket  behind,  and  on  wheeling  suddenly  round,  he  perceiv- 
ed a  little  boy,  not  much  older  than  Harry,  darting  rapidly 
off"  in  another  direction,  carrying  his  own  purse  and  pocket- 
handkerchief  in  his  hand.     Being  still  rather  lame,  and  uu- 


154  THE    ILLUMINATION. 

able  to  move  very  fast,  Major  Graham  could  only  vociferate 
at  the  very  top  of  his  voice,  "  Stop  thief!  stop  thief!"  but 
not  a  constable  appeared  in  sight,  so  the  case  seemed  des- 
l)eratc,  and  the  money  lost  for  ever,  when  Frank  observed 
also  what  had  occurred,  and  being  of  an  active  spirit,  he  flew 
after  the  young  thief,  followed  closely  by  Harry.  An  eager 
race  ensued,  up  one  street,  and  down  another,  with  marvel- 
lous rapidity,  while  Frank  was  so  evidently  gaining  ground, 
that  the  thief  at  last  became  terrified,  and  threw  away  the 
purse,  hoping  thus  to  end  the  chace  ;  but  neither  of  his  pur- 
suers paused  a  moment  to  pick  it  up,  they  were  so  intent 
upon  capturing  the  little  culprit  liimself.  At  length  Frank 
sprung  forward  and  caught  him  by  the  collar,  when  a  fierce 
conflict  ensued,  during  which  the  young  thief  was  so  inge- 
nious, that  he  nearly  slipped  his  arms  out  of  his  coat,  and 
would  have  made  his  escape,  leaving  a  very  tattered  garment 
in  their  hands,  if  Harry  had  not  observed  this  trick,  and 
held  him  b^  the  hair,  which,  as  it  was  not  a  wig,  he  could 
not  so  easily  throw  off. 

At  this  moment,  a  large  coarse  ruflianlv-lookine:  man 
hurried  up  to  the  party,  evidently  intending  to  rescue  the  little 
pick-pocket  from  their  custody;  so  Frank  called  loudly  for 
help,  while  several  police-officers  who  had  been  sent  by  Ma- 
jor Graham,  came  racing  along  the  street,  springing  their 
rattles,  and  vocifcratinc,  "Stop  thief  I" 

Now,  the  boy  struugled  more  violently  than  ever  to  dis- 
entangle himself*,  but  Frank  and  Harry  grasped  hold  of  their 
prisoner,  as  if  they  had  been  a  couple  of  IUjw  Street  officers, 
till  at  length  the  tall  fierce  man  thought  it  time  to  be  off, 
though  not  before  he  had  given  Harry  a  blow  on  the  face, 
that  caused  him  to  reel  back,  and  fall  prostrate  on  the  pave- 
ment. 

"  Then,''s  a  brave  little  gciillemaii  !"  said  one  of  the  con- 
stables, helping  him  up,  while  another  secured  the  thief. 
"You  ought  to  be  knighted  for  fighting  so  well!    This  boy 


THE    ILLUMINATION.  166 

you  have  taken  is  a  sad  fellow !  He  broke  his  poor  mother's 
heart  a  year  since  by  his  wicked  ways,  and  I  have  long 
wished  to  catch  him.  A  few  weeks  on  the  tread-mill  now, 
may  save  him  from  the  gallows  in  future." 

"  He  seems  well  practised  in  his  business,"  observed 
Major  Graham.  "  I  almost  deserved,  however,  to  lose  my 
pocket-book  for  bringing  it  out  in  a  night  of  so  much 
crowding  and  confusion.  Some  lucky  person  will  be  all 
the  richer,  though  I  fear  it  is  totally  lost  to  me." 

*'  But  here  is  your  pocket-handkerchief,  uncle  David,  if 
you  mean  to  shed  any  tears  for  your  misfortune,"  whispered 
Laura  ;  "  how  very  lucky  that  you  felt  it  going  !" 

"  Yes,  and  very  surprising  too,  for  the  trick  was  so  clever- 
ly executed  !  That  little  rascal  might  steal  the  teeth  out  of 
one's  head,  without  being  noticed  !  When  I  was  in  India, 
the  thieves  there  were  so  expert  that  they  really  could  draw 
the  sheets  from  under  a  person  sleeping  in  bed,  without  dis- 
turbing his  slumbers." 

"With  me,  any  person  could  do  that,  because  I  sleep  so 
very  soundly,"  observed  Frank.  "  You  might  beat  a  mili- 
tary drum  at  my  ear,  as  they  do  in  the  boy's  sleeping  rooms 
at  Sandhurst,  and  it  would  not  have  the  smallest  effect.  I 
scarcely  think  that  even  a  gong  would  do !" 

"  How  very  different  from  me,"  replied  Laura.  "  Last 
night  I  was  awakened  by  the  scratching  of  a  mouse  nib- 
bling in  the  wainscoat,  and  soon  after  it  ran  across  my  face." 

"  Then  pray  sleep  to-night  with  your  p.iouth  open,  and  a 
piece  of  toasted  cheese  in  it,  to  catch  the  mouse,"  said  Ma- 
jor Graham.     "  That  is  the  best  trap  I  know !" 

"  Uncle  David,"  asked  Frank,  as  they  proceeded  along 
the  street,  "  if  there  is  any  hope  of  that  wicked  boy  being 
reformed,  will  you  try  to  have  him  taught  better  1  Being  so 
very  young,  he  must  have  learned  from  older  people  to  steal." 

*'  Certainly  he  must !  It  is  melancholy  to  know  how  care- 
fully mere  children  are  trained  to  commit  the  very   worst 


156  THE    ILLUMINATION. 

crimes,  and  how  little  the  mind  of  any  young  boy  can  be  a 
match  for  the  cunning  of  old,  experienced  villains  like  those 
who  lead  them  astray.  When  once  a  child  falls  into  the 
snare  of  such  practised  ofieiiders,  escape  becomes  as  impos- 
sible as  that  of  a  bird  from  a  limed  twig." 

"So  I  believe,"  replied  Frank.  "Grandmama  told  me 
that  the  very  youngest  children  of  poor  people,  when  first 
sent  to  school  in  London,  are  often  waylaid  by  those  old 
women  who  sell  apples  in  the  street,  and  who  pretend  to  be 
so  good-natured  that  they  make  them  presents  of  fruit.  Of 
course  these  are  very  acceptable,  but  after  some  time,  those 
wicked  wretches  propose  that  the  child  in  return  shall  bring 
them  a  book,  or  anything  he  can  pick  up  at  home,  which 
shall  be  paid  for  in  apples  and  pears.  Few  little  boys  have 
sufficient  firmness  not  to  comply,  whether  they  like  it  or 
not,  and  after  that  the  case  is  almost  hopeless,  because, 
whenever  the  poor  victim  hesitates  to  steal  more,  those  cruel 
women  threaten  to  inform  the  parents  of  his  misconduct, 
which  terrifies  the  boy  into  doing  anything  rather  than  be 
found  out." 

"  Oh,  how  dreadful  !"  exrlaimed  liaura.  "  It  all  begins 
so  smoothly  !  No  poor  little  boy  could  suspect  any  danger, 
and  then  he  becomes  a  hardened  thief  at  once  I" 

"  Crandmama  s.iys,  too,  that  pick-pockets  in  liOndon 
used  to  have  the  stuflTed  figure  of  a  man  hung  from  the  roof 
of  their  rooms,  and  covered  all  over  with  bells,  for  the  boys 
to  practise  upon,  and  no  one  was  allowed  to  attempt  stealing 
on  the  streets,  till  he  could  pick  the  pocket  of  this  dangling 
cffisy,  without  ringing  one  of  the  many  bells  with  which  it 
was  ornamented." 

"I  think,"  said  Harry,  "when  the  young  thieves  saw 
that  figure  hanging  in  the  air,  it  might  have  reminded  them 
how  soon  they  would  share  the  same  fate.  i''.veu  crows 
take  warning  when  tliny  sco  a  brother  crow  hanging  dead  in 
a  field." 


THE    ILLUMINATIOIf.  167 

"  It  is  a  curious  thing  of  crows,  Harry,  that  they  certainly 
punish  thieves  among  themselves,"  observed  Major  Gra- 
ham. "In  a  large  rookery,  some  outcasts  are  frequently  to 
be  observed  living  apart  from  the  rest,  and  not  allowed  to 
associate  with  their  more  respectable  brethren.     I  remember 

hearing  formerly,  that  in   the  great  rookery   at , 

when  all  the  other  birds  were  absent,  one  solitary  crow  was 
observed  to  linger  behind,  stealing  materials  for  his  nest 
from  those  around,  but  next  morning  a  prodigious  uproar 
was  heard  among  the  trees, — the  cawing  became  so  vocife- 
rous, that  evidently  several  great  orators  Were  agitating  the 
crowd,  till  suddenly  the  enraged  crows  flew  in  a  body  upon 
the  nest  of  their  dishonest  associate,  and  tore  it  in  pieces." 
"  Bravo  !"  cried  Frank.  "  I  do  like  to  hear  about  all 
the  odd  ways  of  birds  and  animals  !  Grandmama  mention- 
ed lately,  that,  if  you  catch  a  crow,  and  fasten  him  down 
with  his  back  to  the  ground,  he  makes  such  an  outcry,  that 
all  his  black  brothers  come  wheeling  about  the  place,  till  one 
of  them  at  last  alights  to  help  him.  Immediately  the  trea- 
cherous prisoner  grapples  hold  of  his  obliging  friend,  and 
never  afterwards  lets  him  escape  ;  so,  by  fastening  down 
one  after  another,  we  might  entrap  the  whole  rookery." 

"  I  shall  try  it  some  day  !"  exclaimed  Harry,  eagerly. 
"  What  fun  to  hear  them  all  croaking  and  cawing  !" 

"  We  shall  be  croaking  ourselves  soon  with  colds,  if  we 
do  not  hurry  home,"  added  uncle  David.  "  There  is  not  a 
thimbleful  of  light  remaining,  and  your  grandmama  will  be 
impatient  to  hear  all  the  news.  This  has  really  been  a 
most  adventurous  night,  and  I  am  sure  none  cf  us  will  soon 
forget  it." 

When  the  whole  party  entered  the  drawing-room,  in  a 
blaze  of  spirits,  all  speaking  at  once,  to  tell  Lady  Harriet 
what  had  occurred,  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who  was  waiting  to  take 
a  couple  of  little  prisoners  oflf  to  bed,  suddenly  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  astonishment  and  dismay  when  she  looked  at 

O 


158  THE    ILLUMINATIOpr. 

Harry,  who  now,  for  the  first  time  since  tlie  robber  had 
knocked  him  down,  approached  the  light,  when  he  did,  to  be 
sure,  appear  a  most  terrible  .spectacle!  His  jacket  was 
bespattered  with  mud,  his  shirt-trill  torn  and  bloody,  one 
eye  almost  swelled  out  of.  his  head,  and  the  side  of  his  face 
quite  black  and  blue. 

*'  AVhat  mischief  have  you  been  in  now,  Mr.  Harry?" 
cried  Mrs.  Crabtree,  angrily ;  "  you  will  not  leave  a 
whole  bone  in  your  body,  nor  a  whole  shirt  in  your  drawer!" 
'•  These  are  honourable  scars,  Mrs.  Crabtree,"  interrupt- 
ed Major  Graham.  "Harry  has  been  fighting  my  battles, 
and  gained  a  great  victory  !  we  must  illuminate  the  nursery  !" 
Uncle  David  then  told  the  whole  story,  with  many  droll 
remarks,  about  his  purse  having  been  stolen,  and  said  that, 
as  Harry  never  complained  of  being  hurt,  he  never  supposed 
that  anything  of  the  kind  could  have  occurred ;  but  he  felt 
very  much  pleased  to  observe  how  well  a  certain  young 
gentleman  was  able  to  bear  pain,  as  boys  must  expect  hard 
blows  iu  the  world,  when  they  had  to  fight  their  way  through 
life,  therefore  it  was  well  for  them  to  give  as  few  as  they 
could,  and  to  bear  widi  i'urtitiide  what  tell  to  tlieir  own 
share.  L'ncle  David  slyly  added,  that  |)erhap3  Harry  ])ut  up 
with  these  things  all  the  better  for  having  so  much  practice 
in  the  nursery. 

Mrs.  Crabtree  seemed  rather  proud  of  Harry's  manly 
spirit,  and  treated  him  with  a  little  more  respect  than  usual, 
saying,  she  would  tctch  him  some  hot  water  to  foment  his 
face,  ilhc  would  go  straiiilit  up  stairs  with  l^aura.  Now,  it 
very  seldom  happened,  tliat  Harry  went  straight  anywhere, 
for  he  generally  swung  down  the  bannisters  again,  or  took 
a  leap  over  any  thing  he  saw  on  the  way,  or  got  upon  some 
of  the  tables  and  jumped  olf,  but  this  nii^ht  he  had  resolutely 
intended  marching  steadily  u[)  to  bed,  and  advanced  a  con- 
siderable way,  when  a  loud  shout  in  the  street  attracted  hia 
attention.      Harry  stejipi-d,  and   it  was  repeated  again,  so 


THE    ILLUMINATIOK.  159- 

seizing  Laura  by  the  hand,  they  flew  eagerly  into  Lady 
Harriet's  dressing-room,  and  throwing  open  a  window,  they 
picked  up  a  couple  of  cloaks  that  were  lying  on  a  chair,  and 
both  stepped  out  on  a  balcony  to  find  out  what  was  going 
on  ;  and  in  case  any  one  shoul(^see  them  in  this  unusual 
place,  Harry  quietly  shut  the  window  down,  intending  to 
remain  only  one  single  minute.  Minutes  run  very  fast 
away  when  people  are  amused,  and  nothing  could  be  more 
diverting  than  the  sight  they  now  beheld,  for  at  this  moment 
a  grand  crash  exploded  of  squibs  and  rockets  from  the  Castle- 
hill,  which  looked  so  beautiful  in  the  dark,  that  it  seemed 
impossible  to  think  of  anything  else.  Some  flew  high  in 
the  air,  and  then  burst  into  the  appearance  of  twenty  fiery 
serpents  falling  from  the  sky,  others  assumed  a  variety  of 
colours,  and  dropped  like  flying  meteors,  looking  as  if  the  stars 
vrere  all  learning  to  dance,  while  many  rushed  into  the  air 
and  disappeared,  leaving  not  a  trace  behind.  Harry  and 
Laura  stood  perfectly  eritranced  with  admiration  and  delight, 
till  the  fire-works  neither  burst,  cracked,  nor  exploded  any 
more. 

A  ballad-singer  next  attracted  their  notice,  singing  the 
tune  of  "  Meet  me  by  moonlight,"  and  afterwards  Laura 
shewed  Harry  the  constellation  of  Orion  mentioned  in  the 
Bible,  which,  besides  the  Great  Bear,  was  the  only  one  she 
had  the  slightest  acquaintance  with.  Neither  of  them  had 
ever  observed  the  Northern  Lights  so  brilliant  before,  and 
now  they  felt  almost  alarmed  to  see  them  shooting  like  lan- 
ces of  fire  across  the  sky,  and  glittering  with  many  bright 
colours,  like  a  rainbow,  while  Laura  remembered  her 
grandmama  mentioning  some  days  ago,  that  the  poor  na- 
tives of  Greenland  believe  these  are  the  spirits  of  their  fa- 
thers going  forth  to  battle. 

Meantime,  Lady  Harriet  called  Frank,  as  usual,  to  his 
evening  prayers  and  reading  in  her  dressing-room,  where 
it  wa3  well  known  that  they  were  on  no  account  to  be  dis- 


160  THE    ni-UMINATIOX. 

turbed.  Artcr  having  read  a  chapter,  and  talked  very  se- 
rious*!/ about  all  it  was  iutended  to  teach,  they  had  beg\into 
discuss  the  prospect  of  Frank  going  abroad  very  soon  to 
become  a  midshipman,  and  he  was  wondering  much  where 
his  first  great  shipwreck  ^ould  take  place,  and  telling  Lady 
Harriet  about  the  loss  of  the  Cabalvula,  where  the  crew  liv- 
ed for  eight  days  on  a  barren  rock,  with  nothing  to  cat  but 
a  cask  of  raspberry  jam,  which  accidentally  floated  within 
their  reach.  Before  Frank  had  finished  his  story,  how- 
ever, he  suddenly  paused,  and  sprung  upon  his  feet  with  an 
exclamation  of  astonishment,  while  Lady  Harriet,  looking 
hastily  round  in  the  same  direction,  became  terrified  to  ob- 
serve a  couple  of  faces  looking  in  at  the  window.  It  was 
so  dark,  she  could  not  sec  what  they  were  like,  but  a  mo- 
meat  afterwards  the  sash  began  slowly  and  heavily  opening, 
after  which  two  figures  leaped  into  the  room,  while  Frank 
flew  to  ring  a  peal  at  the  bell,  and  Lady  Harriet  sunk  into 
her  own  arm-chair,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  and 
nearly  fainting  with  fright. 

"Never  mind,  grandmama !  do  not  be  afraid  !  it  is  on- 
ly us !"  cried  Harry  ;   "surely  you  know  me  ?" 

"  You  !  !  !"  exclaimed  Lady  Harriet,  looking  up  with 
amazement.  "  Harry  and  Launi !  !  impossible  !  hoAv  in 
all  the  world  did  you  get  here  ?  I  thought  you  were  both  in 
bed  half  an  hour  ago !  Tiresome  boy  !  you  will  be  the 
death  of  me  some  time  or  other  I  I  wonder  when  you  will 
ever  pass  a  day  without  deserving  the  bastinado  !" 

"Do  you  not  remeuiber  the  good  day  last  month,  grand- 
mama, when  I  had  a  severe  toothache,  and  sat  all  morning 
beside  the  fire  ?  Nobody  found  fault  with  me  then,  and  I 
got  safe  to  bed,  without  a  single  Oh  fie  !  from  noon  till 
night." 

"  Wondorfiil,  iiidood  !  what  a  pity  I  ever  allowed  that 
tooth  to  be  drawn,  but  you  behaved  very  bravely  on  the  oc- 
•ttsiou  of  iu  being  extracted.     Now  take  yourselves  00!*!    I 


TUE    ILLUMINATION.  161 

feel  perfectly  certain  you  will  tell  Mrs.  Crabtree  the  exact 
truth  about  where  you  have  been,  Eind  if  she  punishes  you, 
remember  that  it  is  no  more  than  you  both  deserve.  Peo- 
ple Avho  behave  ill  are  their  own  punishers,  and  should  be 
glad  that  some  one  will  kindly  take  the  trouble  to  teach 
them  better." 


0  2 


CHAPTER   XI, 


THE  POOR  BOY. 

Not  all  the  fine  things  that  fine  people  possess, 
Should  teach  ihcm  the  poor  to  despise ; 
For  'lis  in  good  manners,  and  not  in  good  dress, 
That  the  truest  gentility  lies. 

The  following  Saturday  morning,  Frank,  Hai-ry,  and  Lau- 
ra were  assembled  before  Lady  Harriet's  breakfast  hour, 
talking  overall  their  adventures  on  the  night  of  the  illumi- 
nation ;  and  many  a  merry  laugh  was  heard  while  uncle 
David  cracked  his  jokes  and  told  his  stories,  for  he  seemed 
as  full  of  fun  and  spirits  as  the  youngest  boy  in  a  play- 
ground. 

<'  Well,  old  fellow  !"  said  he,  lifting  up  Harry,  and  sud- 
denly seating  him  on  the  high  marble  chimney-piece. 
"That  is  the  situation  where  the  poor  little  dwarf,  Baron 
BoroMloski  \sas  always  put  by  his  tall  wife,  when  she  wish- 
ed to  keep  him  out  of  mischief,  and  I  wonder  Mrs.  Crabtree 
never  thought  of  the  same  plan  for  you." 

«'  Luckily  there  is  no  fire,  or  Harry  would  soon  be  roasted 
for  the  Giant  Snap-'em-up's  dinner,"  said  Frank,  laughing  ; 
"he  looks  tip  there  like  a  China  Mandarin.  Shake  your 
head,  Harry,  and  you  will  do  rpiite  as  well  !" 

"  Undo  David  !"  cried  Harry,  eagerly,  "  pray  let  me  see 
you  stand  for  one  moment  as  you  do  at  the  club  on  a  cold 
day,  with   your  feet  upon   the  rug,  your  back  to  the  fire, 


THE    rOOR    EOT.  163 

and  your  coat-tails  under  your  arms  !  Pray  do,  for  one 
minute  !" 

Uncle  David  did  as  be  was  asked,  evidently  expecting 
the  result,  which  took  place,  for  Harry  sprung  upon  his 
back  with  the  agility  of  a  monkey,  and  they  went  round  and 
round  the  room  at  a  full  gallop,duriag  the  next  five  minutes, 
while  Lady  Harriet  said  she  never  saw  two  such  noisy 
people,  but  it  was  quite  the  fashion  now,  since  the  king 
of  France  carried  his  grandchildren,  in  the  same  way,  eve- 
ry morning,  a  picture  of  which  had  lately  been  shown  to  her. 

"Then  I  hope  his  majesty  gets  as  good  an  appetite  with 
his  romp  as  I  have  done,"  replied  Major  Graham,  sitting 
down.  "  None  of  your  tea  and  toast  for  me !  that  is 
only  fit  for  ladies.  Frank,  reach  me  these  beef-steaks,  and 
a  cup  of  chocolate." 

Harry  and  Laura  now  planted  themselves  at  the  window, 
gazing  at  crowds  of  people  who  passed,  while,  by  way  of  a 
joke,  they  guessed  what  everybody  had  come  out  for,  and 
who  they  all  were. 

"  There  is  a  fat  cook  with  a  basket  under  her  arm,  going 
to  market,"  said  Harry.  "  Did  you  ever  observe  when  Mrs. 
Marmalade  comes  home,  she  says  to  grandmama,  '  I  have 
desired  a  leg  of  mutton  to  come  here,  my  lady !  and  I  told 
a  goose  to  be  over  also,'  as  if  the  leg  of  mutton  and  the 
goose  walked  here,  arm-in-arm,  of  themselves." 

"  Look  at  those  children,  going  to  see  the  wild  beasts," 
added  Laura,  "  and  this  little  girl  is  on  her  way  to  buy  a  new 
frock.  I  am  sure  she  needs  one  !  that  old  man  is  hurrv- 
ing  along  because  he  is  too  late  for  the  mail-coach  ;  and 
this  lady  with  a  gown  like  a  yellow  daffodil,  is  going  to  take 
root  in  the  Botanical  Gardens  !" 

"  Uncle  David  !  there  is  the  very  poorest  boy  I  ever 
saw  !"  cried  Harry,  turning  eagerly  round  ;  "he  has  been 
standing  in  the  cold  here,  for  ten  minutes,  looking  the  pic- 
ture of  misery  !  he  wears  no  hat,  and  has  pulled  hia  long 


1G4  THE    POOR    noY. 

lank  hair  to  make  a  bow,  about  twenty  times.  Do  come 
and  look  at  him  !  he  id  very  pale,  and  his  clothes  seem  to 
have  been  made  before  he  began  to  grow,  for  they  are  so 
much  too  small,  and  he  is  making  us  many  signs  to  open 
the  window.     May  I  do  it  ?" 

"  No  !  no  !  I  never  give  to  chance  beggars  of  that  kind, 
especially  young  able-bodied  fellowo  like  that,  because  there 
are  so  many  needy,  deserving  people  whom  I  visit, 
who  worked  as  long  as  they  could,  and  whom  I  know 
to  be  sober  and  honest.  Most  of  the  money  we  scatter  to 
street  beggars  goes  straight  to  the  gin-shop,  and  even  the  very 
youngest  children  will  buy  or  steal,  to  get  the  means  of  be- 
coming intoxicated.  Only  last  week,  Harry,  the  landlord  of  an 
ale-house  at  Portobcllo  was  seen  at  the  head  of  a  long  table, 
surrounded  with  ragged  beggar  boys  about  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  of  age,  who  were  all  perfectly  drunk,  and  probably 
your  friend  there  might  be  of  the  party." 

"  Oh  no  !  uncle  David  !  this  boy  seems  quite  sober  and 
exceedingly  clean,  though  he  is  so  very  poor  !"  replied  Lau- 
ra ;  "  his  black  trowsers  are  patched  and  repatched,  his 
jacket  has  faded  into  fifty  colours,  and  his  shoes  are  mended 
in  every  direction,  but  still  he  looks  almost  respectable.  His 
face  is  so  thin  you  might  use  it  for  a  hatchet.  I  wish  you 
would  take  one  little  peep,  for  he  seems  so  anxious  to  speak 
to  us." 

"  I  daresay  that!  wc  all  know  what  the  youngster  has  to 
tell!  Probably  a  wife  and  six  small  children  at  home,  or,  if 
you  like  it  better,  he  will  be  a  shipwrecked  sailor  at  your 
service.  I  know  the  whole  affair  already  ;  but  if  you  have 
sixpence  to  spare,  Laura,  come  with  me  after  breakfast,  and 
we  .shall  bestow  it  on  poor  blind  Mrs.  Wilkic,  who  has  been 
bed-ridden  for  the  last  ten  years  ;  or  old  paralytic  Jemmy 
Dixon  the  porter,  who  worked  hard  a.^  long  as  he  was  able. 
If  you  had  twenty  more  sixjionces,  I  could  tell  you  of  twenty 
more  people  who  deserve  them  as  much." 


THE    POOR    BOY.  165 

"  Very  true,"  added  Lady  Harriet.  "  Street  beggars,  who 
are  young  and  able  to  work,  like  that  boy,  it  is  cruelty  to 
encourage.  Parents  bring  up  their  children  in  profligate 
idleness,  hoping  to  gain  more  money  by  lying  and  cheat- 
ing, than  by  honest  industry,  and  they  too  often  succeed, 
especially  when  the  wicked  mothers  also  starve  and  disfigure 
these  poor  creatures,  to  excite  more  compassion.  We  must 
relieve  real  distress,  Harry,  and  search  for  it  as  we  would 
for  hidden  treasure  s,  because  thus  we  show  our  love  to  God 
and  man  ;  but  a  large  purse  with  easy  strings  will  do  more 
harm  than  good." 

"  Do  you  remember,  Frank,  how  long  I  suspected  that 
old  John  Davidson  was  imposing  upon  me  ?"  said  Major 
Graham.  "  He  told  such  a  dismal  story  always,  that  I  never 
liked  to  refuse  him  some  assistance ;  but  yesterday,  when 
he  was  here,  the  thought  struck  me  by  chance  to  say,  '  What 
a  fine  supper  you  had  last  night,  John  !'  You  should  have 
seen  the  start  he  gave,  and  his  look  of  consternation,  when 
he  answered,  'Eh,  Sir  !  how  did  ye  hear  of  that !  We  got 
the  turkey  very  cheap,  and  none  of  us  took  more  than  two 
glasses  of  toddy.'  " 

"  That  boy  is  pointing  to  his  pockets,  and  making  more 
signs  for  us  to  open  the  window !"  exclaimed  Laura. 
"What  can  it  all  mean  !  he  seems  so  very  anxious  !" 

Major  Graham  threw  down  his  knife  and  fork — rose  has- 
tily from  breakfast — and  flung  open  the  window,  calling  out 
in  rather  a  loud,  angry  voice,  "  What  do  you  want,  you  idle 
fellow  ?  It  is  a  perfect  shame  to  see  you  standing  there  all 
morning  !  Surely  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  an  active 
youngster  like  you  would  disgrace  yourself  by  begging  ?' 

"  No,  Sir  !  I  want  nothing  !"  answered  the  boy  respect- 
fully, but  colouring  to  the  deepest  scarlet.  "I  never  asked 
for  money  in  my  life,  and  I  never  will." 

"  That's  right,  rny  good  boy !"  answered  the  Major,  in- 
stantly changing  his  tone.     "What  brings  you  here  then  1" 


166  THE    POOR    DOT. 

"  Please,  Sir,  your  dcrvant?  shut  the  door  in  my  face,  and 
every  body  is  so  hasty  like,  that  I  don't  know  what  to  do. 
I  can't  be  listened  to  for  a  minute,  though  I  have  got  some- 
thing very  particular  to  say,  that  some  one  would  be  glad  to 
hear." 

Major  Graham  now  looked  exceedingly  vexed  with  him- 
self, for  having  spoken  so  roughly  to  the  poor  boy,  who  had 
a  thoughtful,  mild,  but  care-worn  countenance,  which  was 
extremely  interesting,  while  his  manner  seemed  better  than 
his  dress. 

Frank  was  despatched,  as  a  most  willing  messenger,  to 
bring  the  young  stranger  up  stairs,  while  uncle  David  told 
Harry  that  he  would  take  this  as  a  lesson  to  himself  ever  af- 
terwards, not  to  judge  hastily  from  appearances,  because  it 
was  impossible  for  any  one  to  guess  what  might  be  in  the 
mind  of  another ;  and  lie  began  to  hope  this  boy,  who  was 
so  civil  and  well-spoken,  might  yet  turn  out  to  be  a  proper, 
industrious  little  fellow. 

"  Well,  my  lad  !  Is  there  anything  1  can  do  for  you  ?" 
asked  Major  Graham,  when  Frank  led  him  kindly  into  the 
room.      ""What  is  your  name  ?" 

"Evan  Mackay,  at  your  service.  Please,  Sir,  did  you 
lose  a  pocket-book  lust  Thursday,  with  your  name  on  the 
back,  and  nine  gold  sovereigns  inside?" 

"Yes  !  that  I  did,  to  my  cost!  Have  you  heard  anything 
of  it?" 

The  boy  silently  drew  a  parcel  from  his  pocket,  and  with- 
out looking  up  or  speaking,  he  modestly  placed  it  on  the 
table,  then  colouring  very  deeply,  he  turned  away,  and  hur- 
ried towards  the  door.  In  another  minute  he  would  have 
been  off,  but  I'rank  sprung  forward  and  took  hold  of  his 
arm,  saying,  in  the  kindest  possible  manner,  "  Stoj),  Evan  ! 
Stop  a  moment!  That  parcel  seems  fo  contain  all  my  un- 
cle's money.     Whrro  did  you  get  it?   Hho  sent  it  here  V 


THE    POOR    BOY.  167 

« I  brought  it,  Sir !  The  direction  is  on  the  pocket-book, 
fio  there  could  be  no  mistake." 

"Did  you  find  it  yourself  then  ?" 

"  Yes  !  it  was  lying  in  the  street  that  night  when  I  ran 
for  a  Doctor  to  see  my  mother,  who  is  dying.  She  told 
me  now  to  come  back  directly,  Sir,  so  I  must  be  going." 

*'  But  let  us  give  you  something  for  being  so  honest," 
said  Frank.  "  You  are  a  fine  fellow,  and  you  deserve  to  be 
well  rewarded." 

"  I  only  did  my  duty.  Sir.  Mother  always  says  we  should 
do  right  for  conscience'  sake,  and  not  for  a  reward." 

"  Yes !  but  you  are  justly  entitled  to  this,"  said  Major 
Graham,  taking  a  sovereign  out  of  the  purse.  "  I  shall  do 
more  for  you  yet,  but  in  the  meantime  here  is  what  you  have 
honestly  earned  to-day." 

"If 'I   thought  so.  Sir," said  the  poor  boy,  looking 

wistfully  at  the  glittering  coin.      "If  I  was  quite  sure  there 

could  be  no  harm ,  but  I   must  speak  first  to  mother 

about  it,  Sir!  She  has  seen  better  days  once,  and  she  is 
sadly  afraid  of  my  ever  taking  charity.  Mother  mends  my 
clothes,  and  teaches  me  herself,  and  works  very  hard  in 
other  ways,  but  she  is  quite  bed -ridden,  and  we  have  scarce- 
ly anything  but  the  trifle  I  make  by  working  in  the  fields. 
It  is  very  difficult  to  get  a  job  at  all  sometimes,  and  if  you 
could  put  me  in  the  way  of  earning  that  money,  Sir,  it 
would  make  mother  very  happy.  She  is  a  little  particular, 
and  would  not  taste  a  morsel  that  I  could  get  by  asking  for 
it." 

"  That  is  being  very  proud  !"  said  Harry. 

"  No,  Sir  !  it  is  not  from  pride,"  replied  Evan  ;  "but 
mother  says  a  merciful  God  has  provided  for  her  many 
years,  and  she  will  not  begin  to  distrust  Him  now.  Her 
hands  are  always  busy,  and  her  heart  is  always  cheerful. 
She  rears  many  little  plants  by  her  bedside,  which  we  sell, 
and  she  teaches  a  neighbour's  children,  besides  sewing  for 


1G8  THE    POOR    nOT. 

any  one  who  will  employ  her,  for  mother's  maxim  alwcvys 
was,  that  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  an  idle  Christian." 

*'  Very  true  !"  said  Lady  Harriet.  "  Even  the  apostles 
were  mending  tlieir  nets  and  labouring  hard,  whenever 
they  were  not  teaching.  Either  the  body  or  the  mind  should 
always  be  active." 

"  If  you  saw  mother,  that  is  exactly  her  way,  for  she 
does  not  eat  the  bread  of  idleness.  Were  a  stranger  to 
offer  us  a  blanket  or  a  dinner  in  charity,  she  would  rather 
go  without  any  than  talie  it.  A  very  kind  lady  brought  her 
a  gown  one  day,  but  mother  would  only  have  it  if  she  were 
allowed  to  knit  as  many  stockings  as  would  pay  for  the 
stuff.  I  dare  not  take  a  penny  more  for  my  work  than  is 
due,  for  she  says,  if  once  I  begin  receiving  alms,  I  might 
get  accustomed  to  it." 

"  That  is  the  good  old  Scotch  feeling  of  former  days," 
observed  Major  Graham.  "It  was  sometimes  carried  too 
far  then,  but  there  is  not  enough  of  it  now.  Your  mother 
should  have  lived  fifty  years  ago." 

"  Y'ou  may  say  so,  indeed,  Sir  !  We  never  had  a  drop 
of  broth  from  the  soup-kitchen  all  winter,  and  many  a  day 
we  shivered  without  a  fire,  though  the  society  offered  her 
sixpence  a-week  for  coals,  but  she  says  '  the  given  morsel 
is  soon  done  ;'  and  now,  many  of  our  neighbours  who 
wasted  what  they  got,  feel  worse  off  than  we,  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  suffer  want,  and  to  live  upon  our  honest  lal)our. 
Long  ago,  if  mother  went  out  to  tea  with  any  of  our  neigh- 
bours, she  alway.-s  took  her  own  tea  along  with  us." 

"  But  that  is  being  prouder  than  anybody  else,"  observed 
Frank,  smiling.  "  If  my  grandmama  goes  out  to  a  tea- 
party,  she  allows  her  friends  to  provide  the  fare." 

"  Very  likely,  Sir  !  but  that  is  diflerent  when  people  can 
give  as  good  as  thoy  get.  Last  week  a  kind  neighbour 
sent  us  sonic  nice  loaf  bread,  but  mother  made  me  take  it 
back,  with  her  best  thanks,  and  she  preferred   our   own    oat 


THE   POOR   Bor.  169 

cake.  She  is  more  ready  to  give  than  to  take,  Sir,  and  di- 
vides her  last  bannock,  sometimes,  with  anybody  who  is 
worse  off  than  ourselves." 

"Poor  fellow!"  said  Frank,  compassionately;  "how 
much  you  must  often  have  suffered !" 

"  Suffered !"  said  the  boy,  with  sudden  emotion.  "  Yes  ! 
I  have  suffered  !  It  matters  nothing  to  be  clothed  in  rags, — 
to  be  cold  and  hungry  now  !  There  are  worse  trials  than  that ! 
My  father  died  last  year,  crushed  to  death  in  a  moment  by  his 
own  cart-wheels, — my  brothers  and  sisters  have  all  gone  to  the 
grave,  scarcely  able  to  afford  the  medicines  that  might  have 
cured  them, — and  I  am  left  aJone  with  my  poor  dying  mother. 
It  is  a  comfort  that  life  is  not  very  long,  and  we  may  trust 
all  to  God  while  it  lasts." 

"  Could  you  take  us  to  see  Mrs.  Mackay  ?"  said  Major 
Graham,  kindly.     "Laura,  get  your  bonnet." 

"  Oh,  Sir!  that  young  lady  could  not  stay  half  a  minute 
in  the  place  where  my  poor  mother  lives  now.  It  is  not  a 
pretty  cottage  such  as  we  read  of  in  tracts,  but  a  dark  cold 
room,  up  a  high  stair,  in  the  narrowest  lane  you  ever  saw, 
with  nothing  to  sit  on  but  an  old  chest." 

"  Never  mind  that,  Evan,"  replied  Major  Graham.  "  You 
and  your  mother  have  a  spirit  of  honour  and  honesty  that 
might  shame  many  who  are  lying  on  sofas  of  silk  and  da- 
mask. I  respect  her,  and  shall  assist  you  if  it  be  possible. 
Show  us  the  way." 

Many  dirty  closes  and  narrow  alleys  were  threaded  by 
the  whole  party,  before  they  reached  a  dark  ruinous  staircase, 
where  Evan  paused  and  looked  round,  to  see  whether  Ma- 
jor Graham  still  approached.  He  then  slowly  mounted  one 
flight  of  ancient  crumbling  steps  after  anotlier,  lighted  by 
patched  and  broken  windows,  till  at  last  they  arrived  at  a 
narrow  wooden  flight,  perfectly  dark.  After  groping  to  the 
summit,  they  perceived  a  time-worn  door,  the  latch  of 
which  was  gently  lifted  by  Evan,  who  stole  noiselessly  into 

P 


170  THE    POOR    BOT. 

the  room,  followed  by  uncle  David  and  the  wondering  chil- 
dren. 

There,  a  large  cold  room,  nearly  empty,  but  exceedingly 
clean,  presented  itself  to  their  notice.  In  one  corner  stood 
a  massive  old  chest  of  carved  oak,  surrounded  with  a  perfect 
glow  of  geraniums  and  myrtles  in  full  blossom  ;  beside 
which  were  arranged  a  large  antique  Bible,  a  jug  of  cold 
water,  and  a  pile  of  coarsely-knitted  worsted  stockings. 
Beyond  these,  on  a  bed  of  clean  straw,  lay  a  tall,  emaciated 
old  woman,  apparently  in  the  last  stage  of  life,  with  a  face 
haggard  by  suffering  ;  and  yet  her  thin,  withered  hands  were 
busily  occupied  with  needle-work,  while,  in  low,  faltering 
tones,  she  chanted  these  words, 

"  When  from  the  dust  of  death  I  rise, 
To  claim  my  mansion  in  the  skies, 
This,  this  shall  be  my  only  plea, 
Jesus  has  liv'd  and  died  for  me." 

"  Mother  !"  said  Evan,  wishing  to  arouse  her  attention. 
"  Look,  mother  !" 

"Good  day,  Mrs.  Mackay,"  added  Major  Graham,  in  a 
voice  of  groat  consideration,  while  she  languidly  turned  her 
head  towards  the  door.  ''  I  have  come  to  thank  you  for  re- 
storing my  purse  this  morning." 

*'  You  are  kindly  welcome,  Sir  I  AVhat  else  could  we 
do !"  replied  she,  in  a  feeble,  tremulous  voice.  "  The 
money  was  yours,  and  the  sooner  it  went  out  of  our  hands 
the  better." 

"  It  was  perfectly  safe  while  it  stayed  there,"  added  Ma- 
jor (iraham,  not  aflecting  to  speak  in  a  homely  accent,  nor 
putting  on  any  airs  of  condescension  at  all,  but  sitting  down 
on  the  old  chest  as  if  he  had  never  sat  on  any  thing  but  a 
chest  in  his  life  before,  and  looking  at  the  clean  bare  floor 
with  as   much  respect  as   if   it   had  been  a  Turkey  carpet. 


THE    POOR    BOY.  171 

"  Your  little  boy's  pocket  seems  to  be  as  safe  as  the  Bank 
of  Scotland." 

"That  is  very  true,  Sir!  My  boy  is  honest ;  and  it  is 
well  to  keep  a  good  conscience,  as  that  is  all  he  has  in  this 
world  to  live  for.  Many  have  a  heavy  conscience  to  carry 
with  a  heavy  purse  ;  but  these  he  need  not  envy.  If  we 
are  poor  in  this  world,  we  are  rich  in  faith  ;  and  I  trust  the 
money  was  not  even  a  temptation  to  Evan,  because  he 
has  learned  from  the  best  of  all  teachers,  that  it  would  '  pro- 
fit him  nothing  to  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own 
soul.'  " 

"  True,  Mrs.  Mackay !  most  true  !  We  have  come  here 
this  morning  to  request  that  you  and  he  will  do  me  the  fa- 
vour to  accept  of  a  small  recompense." 

*' We  are  already  rewarded.  Sir !  This  has  been  an  op- 
portunity of  testifying  to  our  own  hearts  that  we  desire  to  do 
right  in  the  eye  of  God.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  Provi- 
dence who  kindly  directed  my  son's  steps  to  the  place  where 
that  money  was  lying  ;  and  if  anything  seems  justly  due  to 
poor  Evan,  let  him  have  it.  My  wants  are  few,  and  must 
soon  be  ended.  But  oh  !  when  I  look  at  that  boy,  and 
think  of  the  long  years  he  may  be  struggling  with  poverty 
and  temptation,  my  heart  melts  within  me,  and  my  whole 
spirit  is  broken.  Faith  itself  seems  to  fail,  and  I  could  be 
a  beggar  for  him  now !  It  is  not  money  I  would  ask.  Sir, 
because  that  might  soon  be  spent ;  but  get  him  some  honest 
employment,  and  I  will  thank  you  on  my  very  knees." 

Evan  seemed  startled  at  the  sudden  energy  of  his  mother's 
manner,  and  tears  sprung  into  his  eyes  while  she  spoke 
with  a  degree  of  agitation  so  different  from  what  he  had 
ever  heard  before ;  but  he  struggled  to  conceal  his  feelings, 
and  she  continued  with  increasing  emotion, 

"  Bodily  suffering,  and  many  a  year  of  care  and  sorrow, 
are  fast  closing  their  work  on  me.  The  moments  are  pass- 
ing away  like  a  weaver's  shuttle  ;  and  if  I  had  less  anxiety 


172  THE    POOK    BOY. 

about  Evan,  how  blessed  a  prospect  it  would  appear  ;  but 
that  is  the  bitterness  of  death  to  me  now.  My  poor,  poor 
boy  !  I  would  rather  hear  he  was  in  the  way  of  earning  his 
livelihood,  than  that  he  got  a  hundred  a-year.  Toll  nie, 
Sir! — and  oh!  consider  you  are  speaking  to  a  dying 
creature — can  you  possibly  give  hiin  any  creditable  employ- 
ment, where  he  might  gain  a  crust  of  bread,  and  be  inde- 
pendent?" 

"  I  honour  your  very  proper  feeling  on  the  subject,  Mrs. 
Mackay,  and  shall  help  Kvan  to  the  best  of  my  ability,"  re- 
plied Major  Graham,  in  a  tone  of  seriousness  and  sincerity. 
"To  judge  by  these  fine  geraniums,  he  must  be  fond  of 
cultivating  plants ;  and  we  want  an  under-gardener  in  the 
country  ;  therefore  he  shall  have  that  situation  without  loss 
of  time." 

"Oh,  mother!  mother!  speak  no  more  of  dying!  You 
will  surely  get  better  now!"  said  Evan,  looking  up,  while 
his  thin  pal«  face  assumed  a  momentary  glow  of  pleasure. 
"  Try  now  to  get  better  !  I  never  could  work  as  well,  if  you 
were  not  waiting  to  see  me  come  home  !  "VVe  shall  be  so 
happy  now  !" 

"  Yes !  I  am  happy  !"  said  Mrs.  Mackay,  solemnly  look- 
ing towards  heaven,  with  an  expression  that  could  not  be 
mistaken.  "  The  last  cord  is  cut  that  bound  me  to  the 
earth  ;  and  may  you.  Sir,  find  hereafter  the  blessings  that 
arc  promised  to  those  who  visit  the  fatherless  and  widowa 
in  their  alllictiou." 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  YOUNG  MIDSHIPMAN. 

When  hands  are  link'd  that  dread  to  part, 
And  heart  is  met  by  throbbing  heart ; 
Oh  !  bitter,  bitter  is  the  smart 
Of  them  that  bid  farewell. 

Heber, 

Next  Monday  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  Frank  had  again 
found  his  way  with  great  difficulty  to  the  house  of  Widow 
Mackay,  where  he  spent  all  his  pocket  money  on  two  fine 
scarlet  geraniums.  If  they  had  been  nettles  or  cabbages, 
he  would  have  felt  the  same  pleasure  in  buying  them ;  and 
his  eyes  sparkled  with  animation  when  he  entered  uncle 
David's  room,  carrying  them  in  his  hand,  and  saying,  "  I 
was  so  glad  to  have  some  money  !  I  could  spare  it  quite 
well.  There  is  no  greater  pleasure  in  being  rich  than  to 
help  such  poor  people  as  Evan  Mackay  and  his  poor  sick 
mother  !" 

"Yes,  Frank,  I  often  wonder  that  any  enjoyment  of 
wealth  can  be  considered  equal  to  the  exercise  of  kind  feel- 
ings, for  surely  the  most  delightful  sensation  in  this  world 
is,  to  deserve  and  receive  the  grateful  affection  of  those 
around  us,"  replied  Major  Graham.  "  What  a  wretched 
being  Robinson  Crusoe  was  on  the  desert  island  alone, 
though  he  found  chests  of  gold,  and  yet  many  people  are  as 
unblessed  in  the  midst  of  society,  who  selfishly  hoard  for- 

P2 


174  THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN. 

tunes  for  themselves,  unmindful  of  the  many  around  who 
ought  to  be  gratefully  receiving  their  daily  benefits." 

"  1  was  laughing  to  read  lately  of  tlie  West  India  slaves, 
who  collected  money  all  their  lives  in  an  old  stocking,"  said 
Frank,  "  and  who  watched  with  delight  as  it  filled  from  year 
to  year  ;  but  the  bank  is  only  a  great  stocking,  where  misers 
in  this  country  lay  up  treasures  for  themselves  which  they 
are  never  to  enjoy,  though  too  often  they  lay  up  no  treasures 
for  themselves  in  a  better  world." 

<'  I  frequently  think,  Frank,  if  all  men  were  as  liberal, 
kind,  and  forbearing  to  each  other  as  the  Holy  Scriptures 
enjoin,  and  if  we  lived  as  soberly,  temperately,  and  godly 
together,  what  a  paradise  this  world  would  become,  for  many 
of  our  worst  suflerings  arc  brought  on  by  our  own  folly,  or 
the  unkindness  of  others.  And  certainly,  if  we  wished  to 
fancy  the  wretchedness  of  hell  itself,  it  would  only  be  neces- 
sary to  imagine  what  the  earth  would  become  if  all  fear  of 
God  and  man  were  removed,  and  every  person  lived  as  his 
own  angry,  selfish  passions  would  dictate.  Great  are  the 
blessings  we  owe  to  Christianity,  for  making  the  world  even 
what  it  is  now,  and  yet  greater  would  those  blessings  be,  if 
we  obeyed  it  better." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  grandmama  says,  and  that  we  mu5t 
attend  to  the  Gospel  from  love  and  gratitude  to  God,  rather 
than  from  fear  of  punishment  or  hope  of  reward,  which  in 
precisely  what  we  saw  in  poor  widow  Mackay  and  Evan, 
who  seemed  scarcely  to  expect  a  recompense  for  behaving 
80  honestly." 

"That  was  the  more  remarkable  in  them,  as  few  Chris- 
tians now  are  above  receiving  a  public  recompense  for  doing 
their  duty  to  (lod.  Men  of  the  world  have  long  rewarded 
each  other  with  public  dinners  and  pieces  of  plate,  to  ex- 
press the  utmost  |)raisc  and  admiration,  b-.it  of  late  I  never 
open  a  newspaper  witluiuf  reading  accounts  of  one  clergy- 
man or  another,  who  has  been   'honoured  with  a  public 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  175 

breakfast !'  when  he  is  presented  by  an  admiring  circle  with 
'a  gold  watch  and  appendages  !'  or  a  Bible  with  a  compli- 
mentary inscription,  or  a  gown,  or  a  pair  of  bands,  worked 
by  the  ladies  of  his  congregation  !  and  all  this,  for  labour- 
ing among  his  own  people,  in  his  own  sphere  of  duly  ! 
What  would  Archbishop  Leighton  and  the  old  divines  have 
said  to  any  one  who  attempted  to  rouse  their  vanity  in  this 
way,  with  the  praise  of  men  1" 

"What you  say  reminds  me,  uncle  David,"  said  Frank, 
"  that  we  have  been  asked  to  present  our  Universal-Know- 
ledge-Master with  a  silver  snuff-box,  as  a  testimonial 
from  the  scholars  in  my  class,  because  he  is  going  soon  to 
Van  Dieman's  Land,  therefore  I  hope  you  will  give  me 
half-a-crown  to  subscribe,  or  I  shall  be  quite  in  disgrace 
with  him." 

"  Not  one  shilling  shall  you  receive  from  me,  my  good 
friend,  for  any  such  purpose  !  a  snuff-box,  indeed  !  your 
master  ought  to  show  his  scholars  an  example  of  using 
none  !  a  filthy  waste  of  health,  money,  and  time.  Such 
testimonials  should  only  be  given,  as  Archbishop  Magee 
says,  to  persons  who  have  got  into  some  scrape,  which 
makes  their  respectability  doubtful.  If  my  grocer  is  ever 
publicly  presented  with  a  pair  of  silver  sugar  tongs,  I  shall 
think  he  has  been  accused  of  adulterating  the  sugar,  and 
give  over  employing  him  directly." 

"  Laura,"  said  Frank,  "you  will  be  having  a  silver  thim- 
ble voted  to  you  for  hemming  six  pocket-handkerchiefs  in 
six  years !" 

"  I  know  one  clergyman,  Dr.  Seton,  who  conscientious- 
ly refused  a  piece  of  plate,  which  was  about  to  be  presented 
in  this  way,"  continued  Major  Graham;  "he  accidentally 
heard  that  such  a  subscription  was  begun  among  the  rich 
members  of  his  congregation,  and  instantly  stopped  it,  say- 
ing, '  Let  your  testimonial  consist  in  a  regular  attendance  at 
church,  and  let  my  sole  reward  be  enjoyed  hereafter,  when 


176  THE    VOUNG    MIDSHirMAN. 

you  appear  as  my  crown  of  joy  and  rejoicing  in   the  pre- 
sence of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming.'  " 

Sir  Edward  Graham's  particular  friend,  Captain  Gordon, 
at  last  wrote  to  say,  that  the  Thunderbolt,  74,  having  been  put 
in  conimii?sion  for  three  years,  was  about  to  sail  for  the  Afri- 
can station,  therefore  he  wished  Frank  to  join  without  de- 
lay; and  as  a  farther  mark  of  his  regard,  he  promised  that 
he  would  endeavour  to  keep  his  young  protege  employed 
until  he  had  served  out  his  time,  because  a  midshipman  once 
paid  off",  was  like  a  stranded  whale,  not  very  easily  set  afloat 
again. 

Lady  Harriet  sighed  when  she  read  the  letter,  and  looked 
paler  all  that  day,  but  she  knew  that  it  was  right  and  neces- 
sary for  Frank  to  go,  therefore  she  said  nothing  to  distress 
him  on  the  occasion,  only  in  her  prayers  and  explanations 
of  the  Bible  that  evening,  there  was  a  deeper  tone  of  feeling 
than  ever,  and  a  cast  of  melancholy,  which  had  rarely  been 
the  case  before,  while  she  spoke  much  of  that  meeting  in  a 
better  world,  which  is  the  surest  hope  and  consolation  of 
those  Christians  who  separate  on  earth,  and  who  know  not 
what  a  day,  and  still  less  what  many  years,  may  bring  forth. 

Major  Graham  tried  to  put  a  cheerful  face  on  the  matter 
also,  though  he  evidently  felt  very  sorry  indeed  about  part- 
ing with  Frank,  and  took  him  out  a  long  walk  to  discuss 
his  future  prospects,  saying,  "  Now  you  are  an  ofticer  and 
a  centlemau,  entitled  therefore  to  be  treated  with  new  re- 
spcct  and  attention,  by  all  your  brother  oflicers,  naval  or 
military,  in  his  Majesty's  service." 

P^rank  himself,  being  a  boy  of  great  spirit  and  enter- 
prize,  felt  glad  that  the  time  had  really  come  for  his  being 
afloat,  and  examining  all  the  world  over  with  his  own  eyes  ; 
but  he  said  that  his  heart  seemed  as  if  it  had  been  put  in  a 
swinir,  it  fell  so  low  when  he  thought  of  leaving  his  dear 
happy  homo,  and  then  it  rose  again  higher  than  ever  at  the 
very  idea  of  being  launched  ou  the  wide  ocean,  and  going 


THE    toUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  177 

to  the  countries  he  had  so  often  read  of,  where  battles  had 
been  fought  and  victories  won. 

"  Frank  !"  said  Peter  Grey,  who  was  going  to  join  the 
Thunderbolt,  in  about  a  fortnight  afterwards,  "  you  have 
no  idea  how  beautiful  I  looked  in  uniform  to-day  !  I  tried 
mine  on,  and  felt  so  impatient  to  use  my  dirk,  I  could  have 
eat  my  dinner  with  it,  instead  of  employing  a  common 
knife." 

«  You  never  forget  to  be  hungry,  Peter,"  said  Frank, 
laughing.  "  But  now  you  are  like  the  old  Lord  Buchan, 
who  used  to  say  he  could  cook  his  porridge  in  his  helmet, 
and  stir  it  with  his  broad-sword." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Major  Graham,  "  you  both  intend  to  be- 
come very  distinguished  officers,  and  to  leave  a  name  at 
which  the  world  grows  pale." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Peter.  "  All  the  old  heroes  we 
read  of  shall  be  mere  nobodies  compared  to  me !  .  I  mean 
to  lose  a  leg  or  an  arm  in  every  battle," 

"  Till  nothing  is  left  of  you  but  your  shirt-collar  and 
shoe-strings,"  interrupted  Frank,  laughing. 

"  No  !  No  !  What  remains  of  me  at  last  shall  die  a  Peer 
of  the  realm,"  continued  Peter.  "  We  must  climb  to  the  top 
of  the  tree,  Frank  !     W^hat  title  do  you  think  I  should  take  V* 

"  Lord  Cockpit  would  suit  you  best  for  some  time, 
Peter !  It  will  not  be  so  easy  a  business  to  rise  as  you 
think.  Every  one  can  run  a  race,  but  very  few  can  win," 
observed  Major  Graham.  "The  rarest  thing  on  earth  is  to 
succeed  in  being  both  conspicuous  and  respectable.  Any 
dunce  may  easily  be  either  the  one  or  the  other,  but  the 
chief  puzzle  with  most  men  is,  how  to  be  both.  In  your 
profession  there  are  great  opportunities,  but  at  the  same 
time  let  me  warn  you,  that  the  sea  is  not  a  bed  of  roses." 

"  No,  uncle  David  !  but  I  hope  it  Avill  become  a  field  of 
laurels  to  us,"  replied  Frank,  laughing.     "  Now  tell  me 


178  THE    YOUNG    MIUSIIIPMAN. 

in  real  earnest  who  you  think  was  the  greatest  of  our  naval 
heroes  till  now,  when  Peter  is  to  cut  them  all  out." 

"  He  mu.st  wait  a  few  years.  It  is  a  long  ladder  to  run 
up  before  reaching  the  top.  In  France,  the  king's  sons 
are  all  born  Field  Marshals,  but  nobody  in  this  country  is 
born  an  Admiral.  The  great  Lord  Duncan  served  during 
half-a-century  before  gaining  his  most  important  victory, 
but  previous  to  that,  he  paved  the  way  to  success,  not  by 
mere  animal  courage  alone,  but  by  being  so  truly  good  and 
religious  a  man,  that  his  extraordinary  firmness  and  bene- 
volence of  character  gained  the  confidence  anrl  respect  of  all 
those  who  served  willi  him,  and  therefore  half  his  success 
in  battle  was  owing  to  his  admirable  conduct  during  peace." 

"  So  I  have  heard  !"  replied  Frank  ;  "  and  when  there 
was  mutiny  in  every  other  ship,  the  Admiral's  own  crew 
remained  faithful  to  him.  Ifow  nmch  better  it  is  to  be 
obeyed  from  respect  and  attachment  than  from  fear,  which 
is  a  mean  feeling  that  I  hope  neither  to  feel  myself,  nor  to 
excite  in  others.  I  wish  to  be  like  oSelson,  who  asked, 
*  ^Vhat  is  fear  ?     I  never  saw  it.'  " 

"  Yes,  Frank  !  Nelson  was  said  to  be  '  brave  as  a  lion, 
and  gentle  as  a  lamb.'  Certainly  both  he  and  Lord  Dun- 
can were  pre-eminently  great ;  but  neither  Lord  Duncan, 
nor  any  other  enlightened  Christian,  would  have  said  what 
Lord  Nelson  did,  with  his  latest  breath — '  I  have  not  been 
a  great  sinner  !'  No  mortal  could  lilt  up  his  eyes  at  the 
day  of  judgment,  and  repeat  those  words  again  ;  for  every 
man  that  breathes  the  breath  of  life  is  a  great  sinner.  We 
are  living  in  God's  own  world  without  remembering  him, 
continually  ;  and  amidst  thousands  of  blessings  we  disobey 
him.  The  chi«;f  purpose  for  whith  men  are  created,  is  to 
glorify  (iod,  and  to  prepare  for  entering  his  presence  in  a 
better  world;  but  instead  of  doing  so,  we  live  as  if  thero 
were  no  other  object  to  live  for,  than  our  own  pleasures  and 
amusements  on   earth.     How,  then,  can  we  be  otherwise 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  179 

than  great  sinners  ?  I  hope,  Frank,  that  you  will  endeavour 
to  be,  like  Lord  Duncan,  not  merely  a  good  officer,  but  also 
a  good  Christian  ;  for,  besides  fighting  the  battles  of  your 
country,  you  must  gain  a  great  victory  over  yourself,  as  all 
men  must  cither  conquer  their  own  evil  dispositions,  or 
perigh  for  ever." 

Lady  Harriet  was  particularly  earnest  in  entreating  Frank 
to  write  frequently  home ;  observing,  that  she  considered  it 
a  religious  duty  in  all  children,  to  shew  their  parents  this  at- 
tention, as  the  Bible  says  that  "  a  wise  son  maketh  a  glad 
father,"  and  that  "  the  father  of  the  righteous  shall  greatly 
rejoice  ;"  but  on  the  contrary,  too  many  young  persons  leave 
their  parents  to  mourn  in  suspense  and  anxiety,  as  to  the 
health  and  happiness  of  those  whom  they  love  more  than 
they  can  ever  love  any  one  else. 

*'  Tell  us  of  every  thing  that  interests  you,  and  even  all 
about  the  spouting  whales,  flying  fish,  and  dying  dolphins, 
which  you  will  of  course  see,"  said  Laura.  "Be  sure  to 
write  us  also,  how  many  albatrosses  you  shoot,  and  whether 
you  are  duly  introduced  to  Neptune  at  the  Cape." 

"  Yes,  Laura  !  but  Bishop  Heber's  Journal,  or  any  other 
book  describing  a  voyage  to  the  Cape,  mentions  exactly  the 
same  thing.  It  will  quite  bring  me  home  again  when  I 
speak  to  you  all  on  paper  ;  and  I  shall  be  able  to  fancy  what 
everybody  will  say  when  my  letter  is  read.  Mrs.  Darwin 
sent  for  me  this  morning  on  particular  business  ;  and  it  was 
to  say  that  she  wished  me,  in  all  the  strange  countries 
where  the  Thunderbolt  touched,,  to  employ  my  spare  mo- 
ments in  chasing  butterflies,  that  as  many  as  possible  might 
be  added  to  her  museum." 

"  Capital !  How  like  Mrs.  Darwin  !"  exclaimed  Major 
Graham,  laughing.  "  You  will  of  course  be  running  all  over 
Africa,  hat  in  hand,  pursuing  painted  butterflies,  till  you  get  a 
conp  de  soleil,  like  my  friend  Watson,  who  was  killed  by  one. 
Poor  fellow !  I  was  with  him  then,  and  it  was  a  frightful 


180  THE    TOUNG    MIDSIlirMAM. 

scene.     He  wheeled  round  several  times,  in  a  sort  of  con- 
vulsion, till  he  dropped  down  dead  in  my  arms." 

"  I  shall  gild  the  legs  and  bilb  of  some  ducks  before 
leaving  home,  and  send  them  to  her  as  a  present  from  Sierra 
Leone,"  said  Peter.  "The  wings  might  be  died  scarlet, 
which  would  look  quite  foreign ;  and  if  an  elephant  falls  ia 
my  way,  it  shall  he  stufl'cd  and  forwarded  by  express." 

"  Uncle  David  !     Do  you  remember  what  fun   we  had, 
when  you  sent  Mrs,  Darwin  that  stuffed  bear  in  a  present ! 
I  was  desired  to  announce  that  a   foreigner  of  distinction 
had  arrived  to  stay  at  her  house.     "What  a  bustle  she  was  in 
on  hearing  tiiat  he  brought  letters  of  introduction  from  you, 
and  intended  to  remain  some  time.     Then  we  told  her  that 
he  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  and  brought  <a  Pole' 
with  him  ;  besides  which  he  had  once  been  a  great  dancer. 
Oh !  how  amusing  it  was,  when  she  at  last  ventured  into 
the  passage  to  be  introduced,  and  saw  her  fine  stuffed  bear." 
"Whatever   people  collect,"    said  Peter,    "every  good- 
natured  person  assists.     I  mean  to   begin  a   collection   of 
crooked  sixpences  immediately  ;  therefore,  pray  never  spend 
another,  but  give  me  as  many  as  you  can  spare ;  and  the 
more  crooked  the  better." 

"  Sin"  a  song  a  sixpence  !"  said  Frank,  laughing. 
"  Laura  should  begin  to  collect  diamonds  for  a  necklace, 
and  perhaps  it  might  be  all  ready  before  she  comes  out  I 
shall  return  home  on  purpose  to  see  you  then,  Laura." 

"  Pray  do.  Master  Frank,"  said  Mrs.  Crabtree,  witLfnore 
than  usual  kindness  ;  "we  shall  have  great  rejoicings  on  the 
occasion  of  seeing  you  back — an  ox  roasted  alive,  as  they 
do  in  England,  and  all  them  sort  of  Tom-fooleries.  I'll 
dance  a  jig  then  myself  for  joy — you  certainly  are  a  wonderful 
good  bov,  considcriiii:  that  I  had  not  the  managing  of  you." 
Frank's  departure  was  delayed  till  after  the  examination 
of  his  school,  because  Mr.  Lexicon  had  requested  that,  being 
the  best  scholar  there,  he  might  remain  to  receive  a  whole 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  181 

library  of  prize-books,  and  a  whole  pocketful  of  medals  ; 
for,  as  Peter  remarked,  "  Frank  Graham  deserved  any  re- 
ward, because  he  learned  his  lessons  so  perfectly,  that  he 
could  not  say  them  wrong  even  if  he  wished  !" 

Hairy  and  Laura  were  allowed  to  attend  on  the  great  oc- 
casion, that  they  might  witness  Frank's  success  ;  and  never, 
certainly,  had  they  seen  any  thing  so  grand  in  their  lives 
before  !  A  hundred  and  forty  boys,  all  dressed  in  white 
trowsers  and  yellow  gloves,  were  seated  in  rows,  opposite  to 
six  grave  learned-looking  gentlemen,  in  wigs  and  spectacles, 
who  seemed  as  if  they  would  condemn  all  the  scholars  to 
death  ! 

The  colour  mounted  into  Harry's  cheeks  with  delight, 
and  the  tears  rushed  into  his  eyes,  when  he  saw  Frank, 
whose  face  was  radiant  with  good-humour  and  happiness, 
take  his  place  as  head  boy  in  the  school.  All  his  compa- 
nions had  crowded  round  Frank  as  he  entered,  knowing  that 
this  was  his  last  appearance  in  the  class  ;  while  he  spoke  a 
merry  or  a  kind  word  to  each,  leaning  on  the  shoulder  of 
one,  and  grasping  the  hand  of  another  with  cordial  kindness, 
for  he  liked  everybody,  and  everybody  liked  him.  No  one 
envied  Frank  being  dux,  because  they  knew  how  hard  he 
worked  for  that  place,  and  how  anxious  he  had  been  to  help 
every  other  boy  in  learning  as  cleverly  as  himself;  for  all 
the  boobies  would  have  become  duxes  if  Frank  could  have 
assisted  them  to  rise,  while  many  an  idler  had  been  made 
busy  by  his  attention  and  advice.  No  boy  ever  received,  in 
one  day,  more  presents  than  Frank  did  on  this  occasion 
from  his  young  friends,  who  spent  all  their  pocket-money 
in  pen-knives  and  pencil-cases,  which  were  to  be  kept  by 
Frank,  in  remembrance  of  them,  as  long  as  he  lived ;  and 
some  of  his  companions  had  a  tear  in  their  eye  on  bidding 
him  farewell,  which  pleased  him  more  than  all  their  gifts. 

Major  Graham  took  his  place,  with  more  gravity  than 
usual,  among  the  judges  appointed  to  distribute  the  prizes  ; 

Q 


182  THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAI*. 

and  now,  duriii<:;  more  than  two  hours,  tlic  most  puzzling 
questions  that  could  be  invented  were  put  to  every  scholar 
in  succession,  while  Frank  seemed  always  ready  with  an 
answer,  and  not  only  spoke  for  himself,  but  often  good-na- 
turedly prompted  his  neighbours,  in  so  low  atone  that  no  one 
else  heard  him.  His  eyes  brightened,  and  his  face  grew  red 
•with  anxiety,  while  even  his  voice  shook  at  first ;  but  before 
long  Frank  collected  all  his  wits  about  him,  and  could  con- 
strue Latin  or  repeat  Greek  with  perfect  ease,  till  at  length 
the  whole  examination  concluded,  and  the  great  Dr.  Clif- 
ford, who  had  lately  come  all  the  way  from  Oxford,  was  re- 
quested to  present  the  prizes.  Upon  this  he  rose  majesti- 
cally from  his  arm-chair,  and  made  a  long  speech,  filled  a3 
full  as  it  could  hold  with  Latin  and  Creek.  lie  praised 
Homer  and  Horace  for  nearly  twenty  minutes,  and  brought 
in  several  lines  from  Virgil,  after  which  he  turned  to  P'rank, 
saying,  in  a  tone  of  great  kindness  and  condescension, 
though  at  the  same  time  exceedingly  pompous, 

"It  seems  almost  a  pity  that  this  young  gentleman — alrea- 
dy so  very  accomplished  a  scholar — who  is,  I  may  say,  a 
perfect  mulhtm  in  pnrvo,  should  prematurely  pause  in  his 
classical  career  to  enter  the  navy;  but  in  every  situation  of 
life  his  extraordinary  activity  of  mind,  good  temper,  cour- 
age and  ability,  must  render  him  an  honour  to  his  country 
and  his  profession." 

Dr.  Clifford  now  glanced  over  the  list  of  prizes,  and  read 
aloud — "  First  prize  for  Greek — Master  Graham  !" 

Frank  walked  gracefully  forward,  coloured  and  bowed, 
while  a  few  words  of  approbation  were  said  to  him,  and  a 
fiplrndidly-bound  copy  of  Euripides  was  put  into  his  hands 
by  Dr.  riifibrd,  who  then  hastily  read  over  the  catalogue  of 
prizes  to  himself,  in  an  audible  voice,  and  in  a  tone  of  great 
surprise. 

«<  F'irst  prize  for  Latin  ! — Master  Graham  !  First  for  al- 
gebra,— first    for   geography, — first    for    mathematics, — all 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  183 

Master  Graham  !  !  ! — and  last,  not  least,  a  medal  for  gene- 
ral good  conduct,  which  the  boys  are  allowed  to  bestow 
upon  the  scholar  they  think  most  deserving, — and  here 
stands  the  name  of  Master  Graham  again  !  !" 

Dr.  Clifford  paused,  while  the  boys  all  stood  up  for  a 
moment  and  clapped  their  hands  with  enthusiasm,  as  a  to- 
ken of  rejoicing  at  the  destination  of  their  own  medal. 

For  the  first  time  Frank  was  now  completely  overcome, 
— he  coloured  more  deeply  than  before,  and  looked  gratefully 
round,  first  at  his  companions,  then  at  his  master,  and  last 
at  Major  Graham,  who  had  a  tear  standing  in  his  eye  when 
he  smiled  upon  Frank,  and  held  out  his  hand. 

Frank's  lip  quivered  for  a  moment,  as  if  he  would  burst 
into  tears,  but  with  a  strong  effort  he  recovered  himself,  and 
affectionately  grasping  his  uncle's  hand,  hastily  resumed  his 
place  on  the  bench,  to  remain  there  while  his  companions 
received  the  smaller  prizes  awarded  to  them. 

Meanwhile,  Harry  had  been  watching  Frank  with  a  feel- 
ing of  joy  and  pride,  such  as  he  never  experienced  before, 
and  could  scarcely  refrain  from  saying  to  every  person  near 
him,  "  That  is  my  brother  !"  He  looked  at  Frank  long  and 
earnestly,  wishing  to  be  like  him,  and  resolving  to  follow  his 
good  example  at  school.  He  gazed  again  and  again,  with 
new  feelings  of  pleasure  and  admiration,  till  gradually  his 
thoughts  became  melancholy,  while  remembering  how  soon 
they  must  be  separated  ;  and  suddenly  the  terrible  idea  dart- 
ed into  his  mind,  "Perhaps  we  never  may  meet  again!" 
Harry  tried  not  to  think  of  this  ;  he  turned  his  thoughts  to 
other  subjects  ;  he  forced  himself  to  look  at  anything  that 
was  going  on,  but  still  these  words  returned  with  mournful 
apprehension  to  his  heart,  "  Perhaps  we  never  may  meet 
again  !" 

Frank's  first  action,  after  the  examination  had  been  con- 
eluded,  was  hastily  to  gather  up  all  his  books,  and  bring  a 
eight  of  them  to  Harry  and  Laura  ;  but  what  was  his  as- 


1S4  THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN. 

tonishincnt  when,  instead  of  looking  at  the  prizes,  llarr)' 
suddculy  threw  his  arms  round  his  neck,  and  burst  into 
tears. 

"  My  dear — dear  boy  !  what  has  happened  !"  exclaimed 
Frank,  affectionately  embracing  him,  and  looking  much 
surprised.  "  Tell  me,  dear  Harry,  has  any  thing  distressed 
you  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  very  well,  Frank !  but  you  are  going 
away, — and — and — I  wish  I  had  been  a  better  boy  !  I 
would  do  any  thing  you  bid  me  now ! — but  I  shall  never  be 
so  happy  again — no  !  never,  without  you  !" 

"  But,  dear  Harry  !  you  will  have  Laura  and  grandmama, 
and  uncle  David,  all  left,  and  I  am  coming  back  some  day  ! 
Oh  !  what  a  happy  meeting  we  shall  have  then !"  said 
Frank,  while  the  tears  stood  in  his  eyes  ;  and  drawing 
Harry's  arm  within  his  own,  they  walked  slowly  away  toge- 
ther. 

"  I  am  very — very  anxious  for  you  and  Laura  to  be  hap- 
py," continued  Frank,  in  the  kindest  manner;  "but,  dear 
Harry,  will  you  not  take  more  care  to  do  as  you  are  bid, 
and  not  always  to  prefer  doing  what  you  like!  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree  would  not  be  half  so  terrible  if  you  did  not  provoke  her 
by  some  new  tricks  every  day.  I  almost  like  her  myself  ; 
for  as  the  old  proverb  says,  '  her  bark  is  worse  than  her 
bite;'  and  she  often  reminds  mc  of  that  funny  old  fable, 
where  the  mice  were  more  afraid  of  (he  loud,  fierce-looking 
cock,  than  of  the  sleek,  smooth-looking  cat,  for  there  are 
people  carrying  gentler  tongues  yet  quite  as  difficult  to  deal 
with.  At  the  same  time,  seeing  how  uncomfortable  you 
and  Laura  both  feel  with  Mrs.  Oabtree,  I  have  written  a 
letter  to  papa,  asking,  a.s  my  la.st  and  only  request  on  leav- 
ing home,  that  he  will  make  a  change  of  ministry,  and 
he  is  always  so  very  kind,  that  I  foel  sure  he  will  grant  it." 

"  How  good  of  you,  Frank  !''  said  Harry.  "  I  am  sure  it 
is  our  own  faults   very    often   when  we  arc  in  di.<grace,  fur 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSUIPMAW.  185 

we  are  seldom  punished  till  we  deserve  it ;  but  I  am 
so  sorry  you  are  going  away,  that  I  can  think  of  nothing 
else." 

"  So  am  I,  very  sorry  indeed ;  but  my  best  comfort,  when 
far  from  home,  would  be,  to  think  that  you  and  Laura  are 
happy,  which  will  be  the  case  when  you  become  more  watch- 
ful to  please  grand  mama." 

"  That  is  very  true,  Frank  !  and  I  would  rather  offend 
twenty  Mrs.  Crabtrees  than  one  grandmama  ;  but  perhaps 
uncle  David  may  send  me  to  school  now,  when  I  shall  try 
to  be  like  you,  sitting  at  the  top  of  the  class,  and  getting 
prizes  for  good  behaviour." 

"  Well,  Harry !  my  pleasantest  days  at  school  have  been 
those  when  I  was  busiest,  and  you  will  find  the  same  thing. 
How  delightful  it  was,  going  over  and  over  my  tasks  till  they 
were  quite  perfect,  and  then  rushing  out  to  the  play-ground, 
where  my  mind  got  a  rest,  while  my  body  was  active  ;  you 
know  it  is  seldom  that  both  mind  and  body  work  at  once, 
and  the  best  way  of  resting  the  one  is,  to  make  the  other 
labour.  That  is  probably  the  reason,  Harry,  why  games 
are  never  half  so  pleasant  as  after  hard  study." 

"Perhaps,"  replied  Harry,  doubtfully;  "but  I  always 
hate  anything  that  I  am  obliged  to  do." 

"  Then  never  be  a  sailor,  as  I  shall  be  obliged  to  do  fifty 
things  a-day  that  I  would  rather  not ;  for  instance,  to  get  up 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  when  very  likely  dreaming 
about  being  at  home  again  ;  but,  as  grandmama  says,  it  is 
pleasant  to  have  some  duties,  for  life  would  not  get  on  well 
without  them." 

"Yes — perhaps — I  don't  know! — we  could  find  plenty 
to  do  ourselves,  without  anybody  telling  us.  I  should  like 
to-morrow,  to  watch  the  boys  playing  at  cricket,  and  to  see 
the  races,  and  the  Diorama,  and  in  the  evening  to  shoot 
our  bows  and  arrows." 

"  My   good   Sir  1    what  the   better  would  you,  or  any- 

<12 


186  TJIE    yOLNG    MIUSHIPMAN. 

body  else,  bo  of  such  a  lite  as  that !  Not  a  thing  in  this 
world  is  made  to  be  useless,  Hurry  ;  the  very  weeds  that 
grow  in  the  ground  are  t'(^r  some  serviceable  purpose,  and 
you  would  not  wish  to  be  the  only  creature  on  earth  living 
entirely  for  yourself.  It. would  be  better  if  neither  of  us  had 
ever  been  born,  than  that  the  time  and  opportunities  which 
God  gives  us  for  improving  ourselves  and  doing  good  to 
others,  should  all  be  wasted.  Let  mc  hope,  Harry,  when  I 
am  away,  that  you  will  often  consider  how  dull  grandmama 
may  then  feel,  and  how  hap[)y  you  might  make  her  by  being 
very  attentive  and  obedient." 

"  Yes,  Frank  I  but  I  could  never  fill  your  place  ! — that  is 
quite  impossible!    Nobody  can  do  that  !" 

''Tryl'-only  try,  Harry!  grandmama  is  very  easily 
pleased  whtii  people  do  their  best.  She  W(jnld  not  have 
felt  so  well  satistied  with  me,  if  that  had  not  been  the  case." 

"  Frank  !"  said  Harry,  sorrowfully,  "  I  feel  as  if  ten  bro- 
thers were  going  away  instead  of  one,  for  you  are  so  good 
to  me  !  I  shall  be  sure  to  mention  you  in  my  prayers,  be- 
cause that  is  all  I  can  do  for  you  now." 

"  Not  all,  Harry !  though  that  is  a  great  deal  ;  you  must 
write  to  me  often,  and  tell  me  what  makes  you  happy  or 
unhajipy,  for  I  shall  be  more  interested  than  ever,  now  that 
we  are  se[>arated.  Tell  me  everything  about  my  school-fel- 
lows, too,  and  about  Laura.  There  is  no  corner  of  the 
wide  world  where  I  shall  not  think  of  you  both  every  day, 
and  foel  anxious  about  the  very  least  thing  that  concerns 
you." 

"My  <lcar  boys!"  said  Major  Graham,  who  had  joined 
them  some  moments  before,  "  it  is  fortunate  that  you  have 
both  lived  always  in  the  same  home,  for  that  will  make  you 
love  each  other  atTcctionatcly  as  long  as  you  live.  In  En- 
gland, children  of  one  family  are  all  scattered  to  difTcreut 
schools,  without  any  one  to  care  whether  they  are  attached  or 
not,  theicfore   their   earlie.->t   and    warmest   friendships  aro 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHirMAN.  187 

formed  with  strangers  of  the  same  age,  whom  they  perhaps 
never  see  again,  after  leaving  school.  In  that  case,  brothers 
have  no  happy  days  of  childhood  to  talk  over  in  future  life, 
as  you  both  have, — no  little  scrapes  to  remember,  that  they 
got  into  together — no  pleasures  enjoyed  at  the  same  moment 
to  smile  at  the  recollection  of,  and  no  friction  of  their  tempers 
in  youth,  such  as  makes  every  thing  go  on  smoothly  be- 
tween brothers  when  they  grow  older  ;  therefore,  when  at  last 
grown  up  and  thrown  together,  they  scarcely  feel  more  mu- 
tual friendship  and  intimacy  than  any  other  gentlemen  tes- 
tify towards  each  other." 

"  I  dare  say  that  is  very  true,"  said  Frank.  "  Tom 
Brownlow  tells  me  when  his  three  brothers  come  home  from 
Eton,  Harrow,  and  Durham,  they  quarrel  so  excessively,  that 
sometimes  no  two  of  them  are  on  speaking  terms." 

"  Not  at  all  improbable,"  observed  Major  Graham.  "  la 
everything  we  see  how  much  better  God's  arrangements  are 
than  our  own.  Families  were  intended  to  be  like  a  little 
world  in  themselves — old  people  to  govern  the  young 
ones — young  people  to  make  their  elders  cheerful — 
grown-up  brothers  and  sisters  to  show  their  juniors  a 
good  example — and  children  to  be  playthings  and  com- 
panions to  their  seniors,  but  that  is  all  at  an  end  in  the  present 
system."  <■ 

"  Old  Andrew  says  that  large  families  'squander'  them- 
selves all  over  the  earth  now,"  said  Frank,  laughing. 

"  Yes  !"  very  young  children  are  thrust  into  preparatory 
schools — older  boys  go  to  distant  academies — youths  to  Col- 
lege— and  young  men  are  shipped  off  abroad,  while  who 
among  them  all  can  say  his  heart  is  in  his  own  home  ?  Parents 
in  the  meantime,  finding  no  occupation  or  amusement  in 
educating  their  children,  begin  writing  books,  perhaps 
theories  of  education,  or  novels  ;  and  try  to  fill  up  the  rest 
of  their  useless  hours  with  plays,  operas,  concerts,  balls,  or 
clubs.     If  people  could  only  know  what  is  the  best  happi- 


1S8  THE    VOUNG    MinSHIPMArf. 

ness  of  this  life,  it  certainly  depends  on  l)eing  loved  by 
those  we  belong  to;  for  nothing  can  be  called  peace  on 
earth,  which  docs  not  consist  in  family  afiection,  built  upon 
a  strong  foundation  of  religion  and  morality." 

Sir  Edward  Graham  felt  very  proud  of  Frank,  as  all  gen- 
tlemen are  of  their  eldest  sons,  and  wrote  a  most  affection- 
ate letter  on  the  occasion  of  his  going  to  sea,  promising  to 
meet  him  at  Portsmouth,  and  lamenting  that  he  still  felt  so 
ill  and  melancholy  he  could  not  return  home,  but  meant  to 
try  whether  the  baths  in  Germany  would  do  him  any  good. 
In  this  letter  was  enclosed  what  he  called  "  Frank's  first 
prize-money,"  the  largest  sum  the  young  midshipman  had 
ever  seen  in  his  life,  and  before  it  had  been  a  day  in  his  pos- 
session, more  than  the  half  was  spent  on  presents  to  his 
friends.  Not  a  single  person  seemed  to  be  forgotten  except 
himself;  for  Frank  was  so  completely  unselfish,  that  Peter 
Grey  once  laughingly  said,  "  Frank  scarcely  remembers 
there  is  such  a  person  as  himself  in  the  world,  therefore  it  is 
astonishing  how  he  contrives  to  exist  at  all." 

"  If  that  be  his  worst  fault,  you  shew  him  a  very  opposite 
example,  Peter,"  said  Major  Graham,  smiling;  "number 
one  is  a  great  favourite  with  you." 

"  Frank  is  also  very  obliging  !"  added  Lady  Harriet ;  ''  ho 
would  do  anything  for  any  body." 

"Ah,  poor  fellow  !  lie  can't  help  that,"  said  Peter,  in  a 
tone  of  pity.  "  Some  people  are  born  with  that  sort  of  des- 
perate activity — flying  to  assist  every  one — running  up  stairs 
for  wliatever  is  wanted — scarcliing  for  whatever  is  lost — and 
picking  up  whatever  has  been  dropped.  I  have  .«'cen  seve- 
ral others  like  I'' rank,  who  were  troubled  with  that  sort  of 
turn.  He  is  indulging  his  own  inclination  in  flyijig  about 
everywhere  for  everybody,  as  much  as  I  do  in  sitting  still ! — 
it  is  all  nature! — you  know  tastes  differ,  for  some  people 
like  apples  and  some  like  onions." 

Frank  had  a  black   shade  of  himself,  drawn  in  uniform 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  189 

and  put  into  a  gilt  frame,  all  for  one  shilling,  which  he  pre- 
sented to  his  grandrnama,  who  looked  sadly  at  the  likeness 
when  he  came  smiling  into  her  dressing-room,  and  calling 
Harry  to  assist  in  knocking  a  nail  into  the  wall,  that  it 
might  be  hung  above  the  chimney-piece.  *'  I  need  nothing 
to  remind  me  of  you,  dear  Frank,"  observed  Lady  Harriet, 
"  and  this  is  a  sad  exchange,  the  shadow  for  the  substance." 
Frank  gave  a  handsome  new  red  morocco  spectacle-case  to 
uncle  David,  and  asked  leave  to  carry  away  the  old  one  with 
him  as  a  remembrance.  He  bought  gowns  for  all  the  maids, 
and  books  for  all  the  men-servants.  He  presented  Mrs. 
Crabtree  with  an  elegant  set  of  tea-cups  and  saucers,  pro- 
mising to  send  her  a  box  of  tea  the  first  time  he  went  to 
China  ;  and  for  Laura  and  Harry  he  produced  a  magnificent 
magic  lanthorn,  representing  all  the  stars  and  planets,  which 
cost  him  several  guineas.  It  was  exhibited  the  evening  be- 
fore Frank  went  away,  and  caused  gi*eat  entertainment  to  a 
large  party  of  his  companions,  who  assembled  at  tea  to  take 
leave  of  him,  on  which  occasion  Peter  Grey  made  a  funny 
speech,  proposing  Frank's  health  in  a  bumper  of  bohea, 
when  the  whole  party  became  very  merry,  and  did  not  dis- 
perse till  ten. 

Major  Graham  intended  accompanying  Frank  to  Ports- 
mouth, and  they  were  to  set  off  by  the  mail  next  evening. 
That  day  was  a  sad  one  to  Harry  and  Laura,  who  were  al- 
lowed a  whole  holiday  ;  but  not  a  sound  of  merriment  was 
heard  in  the  house,  except  when  Frank  tried  to  make  them 
'cheerful,  by  planning  what  was  to  be  done  after  he  came 
back,  or  when  Major  Graham  invented  droll  stories  about 
the  adventures  Frank  would  probably  meet  with  at  sea. 
Even  Mrs.  Crabtree  looked  more  grave  and  cross  than 
usual ;  and  she  brought  Frank  a  present  of  a  needle-case 
made  with  her  own  hands,  and  filled  with  thread  of  every 
kind,  saying,  that  she  heard  all  "midshipmites"  learned  to 
mend  their  things,  and  keep  them  decent,  which  was  an  ex- 


190  THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAlf. 

cclleiit  custom,  and  ought  to  be  encouraiied  ;  but  she  hoped 
he  would  remember,  that  "  a  stitch  in  time  saves  nine." 

Lady  Harriet  stayed  most  of  that  day  in  her  dressing- 
room,  and  tried  to  conceal  the  traces  of  many  tears  when 
she  did  appear  ;  but  it  was  only  too  evident  how  sadly  her 
time  had  been  passed  alone. 

"Grandmamal"  said  Frank,  takinghcr  hand  affectionate- 
ly, and  trying  to  look  cheerful  ;  "  we  shall  meet  again  ; 
perhaps  very  soon  !" 

Lady  Harriet  silently  laid  her  hand  upon  the  Bible,  to 
show  that  there  she  found  the  certain  assurance  of  another 
meeting  in  a  better  world  ;  but  she  looked  at  Frank  with 
melancholy  affection,  and  added,  very  solemnly  and  empha- 
tically, 

'  There  is  no  union  licrc  of  hearts, 
That  finds  not  here  an  end.'  " 

"  But,  grandmama!  you  are  not  so  \cry  old  !''  exclaim- 
ed Laura,  earnestly.  "  Lord  Rockville  was  born  ten  years 
sooner,  and  besides,  young  people  sometimes  die  before  older 
people." 

"  Ye.s,  Laura !  young  people  may  die,  but  old  people 
must.  It  is  not  possible  that  this  feeble  aged  frame  of  mine 
can  long  remain  in  the  visible  world.  '  The  eye  of  him 
that  hath  seen  me  shall  me  no  more.'  I  have  many  more 
friends  under  the  earth  now,  than  on  it.  The  .streets  of  this 
city  would  be  crowded,  if  all  those  I  once  knew  and  still  re- 
member, could  be  revived  ;  but  my  turn  is  fast  coming,  like 
theirs,  and  Frank  knows,  as  all  of  you  do,  where  it  is  my 
hope  and  prayer  that  we  may  certainly  meet  again." 

"  Grandmama  !"  said  F'rank,  in  a  low  and  broken  voice, 
"it  wants  but  an  hour  to  the  time  of  my  departure;  I 
should  like  much  if  the  servants  were  to  con.e  up  now  for 
family  prayers,  and  if  uncle  David  would  read  us  the  14lU 
chapter  of  St.  John." 


THE    YOUNG    MIDSHIPMAN.  191 

Lady  Harriet  rung  the  bell,  and  before  long  the  whole 
household  had  assembled,  as  not  one  would  have  been  ab- 
sent on  the  night  of  Master  Frank's  departure  from  home, 
which  all  were  deeply  grieved  at,  and  even  Mrs.  Crabtrec 
dashed  a  tear  from  her  cheek  as  she  entered  the  room. 

Frank  sat  with  his  hand  in  Lady  Harriet's,  while  Major 
Graliam  read  the  beautiful  and  comforting  chapter  which 
had  been  selected,  and  when  the  whole  family  kneeled  in 
solemn  prayer  together,  many  a  deep  sob,  which  could  not 
be  conquered,  was  heard  from  Frank  himself.  After  all 
was  over,  he  approached  the  servants,  and  silently  shook 
hands  with  each,  but  could  not  attempt  to  speak  ;  after 
which  Lady  Harriet  led  him  to  her  dressing-room,  where 
they  remained  some  time,  till,  the  carriage  having  arrived, 
Frank  hastened  into  the  drawing-room,  clasped  Harry  and 
Laura  in  his  arms,  and  having,  in  a  voice  choked  with 
grief,  bid  them  both  a  long  farewell,  he  hurried  out  of  their 
presence. 

\Mien  the  door  closed,  something  seemed  to  fall  heavily 
on  the  ground,  but  this  scarcely  attracted  any  one's  atten- 
tion, till  Major  Graham  followed  Frank,  and  was  shocked 
to  find  him  lying  on  the  staircase  perfectly  insensible.  In- 
stead of  calling  for  assistance,  however,  uncle  David  care- 
fully lifted  Frank  in  his  own  arms,  and  carried  him  to  the 
carriage,  where,  after  a  few  moments,  the  fresh  air,  and  the 
rapid  motion  revived  his  recollection,  and  he  burst  into 
tears. 

"  Poor  grandmama!  and  Harry  and  Laura!"  cried  he, 
weeping  convulsively.  "  Oh !  when  shall  I  see  them  all 
again !" 

"  My  dear  boy !"  said  Major  Graham,  trying  to  be  cheer- 
ful;  "do  you  think  nobody  ever  left  home  before?  One 
would  suppose  you  never  expected  to  come  back  !  Three 
years  seem  an  age  when  we  look  forward,  but  are  nothing 
after  they  have  fled.     The  longer  we  live,  the  shorter  every 


192  THE    YOUNG    MIDSnir^IAN. 

year  appears,  and  it  will  seem  only  the  day  after  to-morrow 
when  you  are  rushing  into  the  house  again,  and  all  of  us 
standing  at  the  door  to  welcome  you  back.  Think  what  a 
joyous  moment  that  will  be  !  There  is  a  wide  and  wonder- 
ful world  for  you  to  see  first,  and  then  a  happy  home  after- 
wards to  revisit." 

"  Yes,  dear,  good,  kind  uncle  David  !  no  one  ever  had  a 
happier  home  ;  and  till  the  cast  comes  to  the  west,  I  shall 
never  cease  to  think  of  it  with  gratitude  to  you  and  grand- 
mama.  We  shall  surely  all  meet  again.  I  must  live  upon 
that  prospect.  Hope  is  the  jewel  that  remains  wherever  we 
go,  and  the  hope  to  which  grandmama  has  directed  me,  is 
truly  compared  to  a  rainbow,  which  not  only  brightens  the 
earth,  but  stretches  to  heaven." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  AMUSING  DRIVE. 

I  would  not  enter  on  my  list  of  friends 

(Though  grac'd  with  polish'd  manners  and  fine  sense, 

Yet  wanting  sensibility)  the  man 

Who  needlessly  sets  foot  upon  a  worm. 

COWPER. 

Lady  Harriet  was  confined  to  bed  for  several  days  after 
Frank's  departure  from  home,  and  during  all  that  week 
Harry  and  Laura  felt  so  melancholy,  that  even  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree  became  sorry  for  them,  saying  it  was  quite  distressing 
to  see  how  quiet  and  good  they  had  become,  for  Master 
Harry  was  as  mild  as  milk  now,  and  she  almost  wished  he 
would  be  at  some  of  his  old  tricks  again. 

On  the  following  Monday,  a  message  arrived  from  Lady 
Rockville,  to  say  that  she  was  going  a  long  drive  in  her 
phaeton,  to  visit  some  boys  at  Musselburgh  school,  and 
would  be  happy  to  take  Harry  and  Laura  of  the  party,  if 
their  grandmama  had  no  objection.  None  being  made  by 
anybody,  they  flew  up  stairs  to  get  ready,  while  Harry  did 
not  take  above  three  steps  at  a  time,  and  Laura,  v/hen  she 
followed,  felt  quite  astonished  to  find  Mrs.  Crabtree  looking 
almost  as  pleased  as  herself,  and  saying  she  hoped  the  ex- 
pedition would  do  them  both  good. 

Before  five  minutes  had  elapsed,  Harry  was  mounted  on 
the  dickey,  where  Lady  Rockville  desired  him   to  sit,  in- 

R 


104  THE    AMUSING    DRIVE. 

• 

stead  of  the  footman,  who  was  now  dismissed,  as  no  room 
could  be  made  for  both  ;  so  after  that  Harry  touched  his 
hat  whenever  any  of  the  party  spoke  to  him,  as  if  he  had 
really  been  the  servant. 

Laura,  mcauwhilc,  was  placed  between  Lady  Rockville 
and  Miss  Perceval,  where  she  could  hardly  keep  quiet  a 
minute  for  joy,  though  afraid  to  turn  her  head  or  to  stir  her 
little  finger,  in  case  of  being  thought  troublesome. 

"  I  am  told  that  the  races  take  place  at  Musselburgh  to- 
day," said  Lady  Rockville.  "  It  is  a  cruel  amusement,  de- 
rived from  the  sufferings  of  noble  animals  ;  they  have  as 
good  a  right  to  be  happy  in  the  world  as  ourselves,  l>aura  ; 
but  we  shall  pass  that  way,  so  Harry  and  you  will  probably 
see  the  crowds  of  carriages." 

"  Oh,  how  enchanting  ! — I  never  saw  a  race-course  in 
my  life  !"  exclaimed  Laura,  springing  off  her  seat  with  de- 
light.    "  Harry  !   Harry  !  we  are  going  to  the  races  !" 

"  Hurra  !"  exclaimed  Harry,  clapping  his  hands  ;  "  what 
a  delightful  surprise !     Oh  !  I  am  so  dreadfully  happy  !" 

"  After  all,  my  dear  Lady  Rockville,"  said  Miss  Per- 
ceval, yawning,  "  what  have  horses  got  legs  for,  except  to 

run  ?" 

"  Yes,  but  not  at  such  a  pace  !  It  always  shocked  me — 
formerly  at  Doncaster,  where  the  jockeys  were  sometimes 
paid  £1000  for  winning — to  see  how  the  poor  animals  wcro 
lashed  and  spurred  along  tlie  course,  foaming  with  fatigue, 
gasping  till  they  nearly  expired.  Horses,  poor  creatures, 
from  the  hour  of  their  birth  till  tlieir  death,  have  a  sad  timo 
of  it !" 

"  Grandmama  once  read  me  a  beautiful  description  of  a 
wild  horse  in  his  natural  state  of  liberty,"  said  Laura. 
Among  the  South  American  forests  he  was  to  be  seen  car- 
rying his  head  erect,  with  sparkling  eyes,  flowing  mane, 
and  splendid  tail,  trotting   about  among  the  noble  trees,  or 


THE    AMUSING    DRIVE.  195 

cropping  the  grass  at  his  feet,  looking  quite  princely,  and 
doing  precisely  what  he  pleased." 

"  Then  look  at  the  contrast,"  said  Lady  Rockville,  point- 
ing to  a  long  row  of  cart-horses  with  galled  sides,  shrivelled 
skins,  broken  knees,  and  emaciated  bodies,  which  were  all 
dragging  their  weary  load  along.  "  Animals  are  all  meant 
for  the  use  of  man,  but  not  to  be  abused,  like  these  poor 
creatures  !" 

"As  for  racing,"  said  Miss  Perceval,  "a  thorough-bred 
horse  enters  into  the  spirit  of  it  quite  as  much  as  his  rider. 
Did  you  never  hear  of  Quin's  celebrated  steed,  which  be- 
came so  eager  to  win,  that  when  his  antagonist  passed  he 
seized  him  violently  by  the  leg,  and  both  jockeys  had  to 
dismount  that  the  furious  animal  might  be  torn  away.  The 
famous  horse  Forester,  too,  caught  hold  of  his  opponent  by 
the  jaw,  and  could  scarcely  be  disengaged." 

<'  Think  of  all  the  cruel  training  these  poor  creatures 
went  through  before  they  came  to  that,"  added  Lady  Rock- 
ville ;  "  of  the  way  in  which  horses  are  beaten,  spurred, 
and  severely  cut  with  the  whip  ;  then,  after  their  strength 
fails,  like  the  well-known  '  high-mettled  racer,'  the  poor  an- 
imal is  probably  sold  at  last  to  perpetual  hard  labour  and  ill- 
usage." 

"  Uncle  David  shewed  me  yesterday,"  said  Laura,  "  that 
horrid  picture  which  you  have  probably  seen,  by  Cruick- 
shanks,  of  the  Knackers'  Yards  in  London,  where  old 
horses  are  sent  to  end  their  miserable  days,  after  it  is  impos- 
sible to  torture  them  any  longer  into  working.  Oh !  it 
was  dreadful !  and  yet  grandmama  said  the  whole  sketch 
had  been  taken  from  life." 

"  I  know  that,"  answered  Lady  Rockville.  "  In  these 
places  the  wretched  animals  are  literally  put  to  death  by 
starvation,  and  may  be  seen  gnawing  each  other's  manes  in 
the  last  agonies  of  hunger." 

^'  My  dear  Lady  Rockville,"  exclaimed  Miss  Perceval, 


136  THE    AMUSING    DRIVE. 

afiectedly,  "  how  can  you  talk  of  such  unpleasant  things  ! — 
there  is  an  Act  of  Parliament  against  cruelty  to  animals,  so 
of  course  no  such  thing  exists  now.  Many  gentlemen  are 
vastly  kind  to  old  horses,  turning  them  out  to  grass  for  years, 
that  they  may  enjoy  a  life  of  elegant  leisure  and  rural  re- 
tirement, to  which,  no  doubt,  some  are  well  entitled  ;  for  in- 
stance, the  famous  horse  Eclipse,  which  gained  his  owner 
i;25,000  !     I  wish  he  had  been  mine  !" 

"  But  think  how  many  arc  ruined  when  one  is  enriched, 
and  indeed  both  are  ruined  in  morals  and  good  feeling ; 
therefore  I  am  glad  that  our  sex  have  never  yet  taken  to  the 
turf.  It  is  bad  enough,  my  dear  Miss  Perceval,  to  see  that 
they  have  taken  to  the  moors  ;  for  were  I  to  say  all  I  think 
of  those  amazons  who  lately  killed  their  six  brace  of  grouse 
on  the  12th  of  August,  they  would  probably  challenge  me 
to  single  combat.  Lord  Rockville  says,  'What  with  gen- 
tlemen doing  worsted  work,  and  ladies  shouldering  double- 
barrelled  guns,  he  scarcely  thinks  this  can  be  the  same  world 
he  was  born  in  long  ago.'  " 

The  carriage,  at  this  moment,  i)cgan  to  proceed  along  tho 
road  with  such  extraordinary  rapidity,  that  there  seemed  no 
danger  of  their  following  in  the  dust  of  any  other  equipage, 
and  Miss  Perceval  became  exceedingly  alarmed,  especially 
when  Lady  Rockville  mentioned  that  this  was  one  of  the 
first  times  she  had  been  driven  by  her  new  coachman,  who 
seemed  so  very  unsteady  on  his  seat,  she  had  felt  apprehen- 
sive, for  some  time,  that  he  might  hv.  drunk. 

"A  tipsy  coachman!  Dear  liady  Rockville,  do  let  mo 
out !  We  shall  certainly  be  killed  in  this  crowd  of  carriages  ! 
I  can  walk  home  !  Pray  stop  him,  Miss  Laura  !  I  came  to 
look  on  at  a  race,  but  not  to  run  one  myself!  This  fast  dri- 
ving is  like  a  railroad,  only  not  (piite  so  straight  !  I  do 
verily  believe  we  are  run  of!'  with  !   Stop,  coachman  !--.sto|) !" 

Li  spite  of  all  Miss  Perceval's  exflamatioiis  and  vocife- 
rations, the  carriage  flew   on  with  frightful    rapidity,  though 


THE    AMUSING    DRIVE.  197 

it  reeled  from  side  to  side  of  the  road,  as  if  it  had  become 
intoxicated  like  the  driver  himself,  who  lashed  his  horses 
and  galloped  along,  within  an  inch  of  hedges  and  ditches 
all  the  way,  till  at  last,  having  reached  the  race-course,  ho 
pulled  up  so  suddenly  and  violently,  that  the  horses  nearly 
fell  back  on  their  haunches,  while  he  swore  at  them  in  the 
most  furious  and  shocking  manner. 

Lady  Rockville  now  stood  up,  and  spoke  to  the  coach- 
man very  severely  on  his  misconduct,  in  first  driving  her 
so  dangerously  fast,  and  then  being  disrespectful  enough  to 
use  profane  language  in  her  presence,  adding,  that  if  he  did 
not  conduct  himself  more  properly,  she  must  complain  to 
Lord  Rockville  as  soon  as  the  carriage  returned  home. 
Upon  hearing  this,  the  man  looked  exceedingly  sulky,  and 
muttered  angrily  to  himself  in  a  tipsy  voice,  till  at  last  he 
suddenly  threw  away  the  reins,  and.,  rising  from  the  box,  he 
began  to  scramble  his  way  down,  nearly  falling  to  the  ground 
in  his  haste,  and  saying,  "^  if  your  ladyship  is  not  pleased 
with  my  driving,  you  may  drive  yourself!" 

After  this  the  intoxicated  man  staggered  towards  a  drink- 
ing-booth  not  far  off,  and  disappeared,  leaving  Miss  Perce, 
val  perfectly  planet-struck  with  astonishment,  and  actually 
dumb  durins  several  minutes  with  wonder,  at  all  she  heara 
and  saw.  There  sat  Harry,  alone  on  the  dicky,  behind  two 
spirited  blood-horses,  foaming  at  the  mouth  with  the  speed 
at  which  they  had  come,  and  ready  to  start  off  again  at  the 
slightest  hint,  while  noises  on  every  side  were  to  be  heard 
enough  to  frighten  a  pair  of  hobby-horses.  Piemen  ringing 
their  bells — blind  fiddlers  playing  out  of  tune — ^boys  calling 
lists  of  the  horses — drums  beating  at  the  starting-post — bal- 
lad sintrers  squalling  at  the  full  pitch  of  their  voices — horses 
galloping — grooms  quarrelling — dogs  barking — and  children 
crying. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  uproar,  Harry  unexpectedly  observ- 
ed Captain  Digby  on  horseback   not  far  off.     Without  los- 

r2 


198  THE    AMUSING    DRIVE. 

inc;  a  moment,  he  stood  up,  waving  his  handkerchief,  and 
calling  to  beg   he  would  come   to  the   carriage  immediately, 
as  they   were  in  want  of  assistance  ;  and   Lady   Rockville 
told,  as  soon  as  he  arrived,  though  hardly  able  to  help  laugh- 
ing  while  she  explained  it,  the   extraordinary  predicament 
they  had  been  placed  in.     Captain  Digby,  upon  hearing  tlic 
story,  looked  ready  to  go  oft*  like  a   squib  witli  rage  at  the 
oiTeuding  coachman,  and  instantly  seizing  the  driving-whip, 
he  desired  his  servant  to  hold  the  horses'  heads,  while  he 
proceeded  towards  the  drinking-boolh,  flourishing  the  long 
lash  in  his  hand  as  he  went  in  a  most  ominous  manner. 
Several  minutes   elai)scd,  during  which   Ilarry  overheard  a 
prodigious  outcry  in  the  tent,  and  then  the  drunken  coach- 
man was  seen  reeling  away  along  the    road,  while   Captain 
Digby,  still  brandishing  the  whip,  returned,  and  mounting 
the  dicky  himself,  he  gathered  up  the  reins,  and  insisted  on 
driving  Lady  Rockville's  phaeton   for  her.     Before  long  it 
was  ranged  close  beside  a  chariot  so  full  of  ladies,  it  seemed 
ready  to   burst,  when   Ilarry  was  amused   to  perceive  that 
Peter  Grey  and  another  boy,  who  were  seated  on  the  rum- 
ble behind,  had  spread  a  tahlo-cluth  on  the  roof  of  the  car- 
riage, using  it  for  a  dining-tablc,  while  they   all  seemed  de- 
termined to  a-stonish  their  appetites  by  the  quantity  of  oys- 
ters and  sandwiches  they  ate,  and  by  drinking  at  the  same 
time  large  tumblers  of  porter.      Lady  Rockville  wished  she 
could  have  the  loan  of  Ilarry  and  [^aura's  spirits  fur  an  hour 
or  two,  when  she  saw  how  perfcclly  bewildered  with  delight 
they  were  on  beholding  the  thousands  of  eager  persons  as- 
sembled on  the  race-ground, — ^jockeys  riding  about  in  liver- 
ies as  gay  a.s  tulips — ollicers  in  scarlet  uniform — red  flags 
fluttering  in  the  breeze — caravans  exhibiting  pictures  of  the 
wildest-looking  beasts  in  the   world — bands  of  music — re- 
cruiting  parties — fire-catirs,  who  dined  on    red-hot  pokerH 
— portraits  representing  pigs  fatter   than    the  fattest  in   the 
World — giantd  a  head  and  three  pair  of  shoulders  taller  than 


THE    AMUSING    DRIVE.  199 

any  one  else,  and  little  dwarfs,  scarcely  visible  with  the 
naked  eye — all  of  which  were  shown  to  children  for  half 
price ! 

Lady  Rockville  very  good  naturedly  gave  Harry  half-a- 
erown,  promising  that,  before  leaving  the  race-ground,  he 
should  either  buy  some  oranges  to  lay  the  dust  in  his  throat 
after  so  long  a  drive,  or  visit  as  many  shows  as  he  pleased 
for  his  half-crown ;    and  they  were  anxiously  discussing 
what  five  sights  would  be  worth  sixpence  each,  when  a  loud 
hurra  was  heard,  the  drums  beat,  and  five  horses  started  off 
for  the  first  heat.     Harry  stood  up  in  an  ecstacy  of  delight, 
and  spoke  loudly  iu  admiration  of  the  jockey  on  a  grey 
horse,  with  a  pink  jacket,  who  took  the  lead,  and  seemed 
perfectly  to  fly,  as  if  he  need  never  touch  the  ground  ;  but 
Harry  exclaimed  angrily  against  the  next  rider,  in  a  yellow 
dress  and  green  cap,  who  pulled  back  his  own  bay  horse, 
as  if  he  really  wished  to  lose.     To  Laura's  astonishment, 
however.  Captain  Digby  preferred  him,  and  Miss  Perceval 
declared  in  favour  of  a  light-blue  jacket  and  chesnut  horse. 
Harry  now  thought  everybody  stupid  not  to  agree  with  him, 
and  called  out  in  the  height  of  his  eagerness,  "  I  would  bet 
this  half-crown  upon  the  pink  jacket !" 

"  Done !"    cried  Peter,  laughing.     "  The  yellow  dress 
and  green  cap  for  my  money !" 

"  Then  I  shall  soon  have  five  shillings !"  exclaimed 
Harry  in  great  glee ;  but  scarcely  had  he  spoken,  before  a 
loud  murmuring  sound  arose  among  the  surrounding 
crowd,  upon  hearing  which  he  looked  anxiously  about,  and 
was  astonished  to  see  the  green  cap  and  yellow  dress  alrea- 
dy at  the  winning-post,  while  his  own  favourite  grey  horse 
cantered  slowly  along,  far  behind  all  the  others,  carrying  the 
jockey  in  the  pink  jacket,  who  hung  his  head,  and  was  bent 
nearly  double,  with  shame  and  fatigue. 

Peter  Grey  gave  a  loud  laugh  of  triumph  when  he  glanced 
at  Harry's  disappointed  angry  countenance,  and  held  out 


200  THE    AMUSING    DRIVE. 

his  hand  for  the  half-crown,  saying,  "  Pay  your  debt  of 
honour,  Master  Harry  !  It  is  rather  fortunate  I  won,  seeing 
that  not  one  sixpence  had  I  to  have  paid  you  with ! 
not  a  penny  to  jingle  on  a  mile-stone.  You  had  more 
money  than  wit,  and  I  had  more  wit  than  money,  so  we  are 
well  met.  Did  you  not  sec  that  the  grey  horse  had  fallen 
lame  ?  Good-bye,  youngster  !  I  shall  tell  all  the  giants  and 
wild  beasts  to  expect  you  another  day  I" 

"  Harry!"  said  Lady  Rockville,  looking  gravely  at  his 
enraged  countenance,  "  it  is  a  foolish  fish  that  is  caught 
with  every  bait !  I  am  quite  relieved  that  you  lost  that 
money.  This  is  an  early  lesson  against  gambling,  and  no 
one  can  ever  be  rich  or  happy  who  becomes  fond  of  it.  "We 
were  wrong  to  bring  you  here  at  all  ;  and  I  now  sec  you 
could  easily  be  led  into  that  dreadful  vice,  which  has  caused 
misery  and  ruin  to  thousands  of  young  men.  If  you 
had  possessed  an  estate,  it  would  have  been  thrown  away 
quite  as  foolishly  as  the  poor  half-crown,  making  you  per- 
haps miserable  afterwards  for  life." 

"  I  thought  myself  quite  sure  to  win!"  exclaimed  Harry, 
ctill  looking  with  angry  astonishment  after  Peter,  who  was 
making  odd  grimaces,  and  holding  up  the  half-crown  in  a 
most  teazing  manner.  "  I  would  rather  have  thrown  my 
money  into  the  sea  than  given  it  to  Peter." 

"  Think,  too,  how  many  plcasanter  and  better  ways  there 
are,  in  which  you  might  have  spent  it !"  added  Ladv  Rock- 
ville. "  Look  at  that  poor  blind  man  whom  you  could 
have  relieved,  or  consider  what  a  nice  present  you  should 
have  given  t(j  liUura !  Hut  there  seem  to  be  no  more 
brains  in  your  head,  Harry,  than  in  her  thimble  !" 

"  Peter  is  quite  a  little  black-leg  already,"  observed  Mi?a 
Perceval.  "  I  never  saw  such  a  boy  !  So  fond  of  attracting 
notice,  that  he  would  put  on  a  cap  and  bells  if  that  would 
make  him  stared  at.  Last  Saturday  he  undertook  for  a  bet 
I'j  make   a   ceremonious   bow   to   every  lamp-post   along 


THE    AMUSING    OUIVE.  201 

Prince's  Street,  and  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  won- 
dering crowd  that  gradually  collected  as  he  went  along,  per- 
forming his  task  with  the  most  perfect  composure  and 
impudence." 

"  For  cool  assurance,  I  hope  there  are  not  many  boys 
equal  to  him,"  said  Lady  Rockville.  "  He  scattered  out  of 
the  window  lately  several  red-hot  half-pence,  among  some 
beggars,  and  I  am  told  they  perfectly  stuck  to  the  poor 
creatures'  fingers  when  trying  to  pick  them  up  ;  and  he  was 
sent  a  message,  on  his  pony,  one  very  cold  day  lately,  to 
Lady  De  Vere's,  who  offered,  when  he  was  taking  leave,  to 
cut  him  one  of  her  finest  camellias,  to  which  he  replied,  '  I 
would  much  rather  you  offered  me  a  hot  potatoe  !' " 

"  Peter  feels  no  sympathy  in  your  disappointment,  Harry," 
added  Miss  Perceval ;  "  but  we  might  as  well  expect  wool 
on  a  dog,  as  friendship  from  a  gambler,  who  would  ruin  his 
own  father,  and  always  laughs  at  those  who  lose." 

"  Go  and  cut  your  ^visdom  teeth,  Harry !"  said  Captain 
Digby,  smiling.  "  Any  one  must  have  been  born  blind 
not  to  observe  that  the  grey  horse  was  falling  behind ;  but 
you  have  bought  half-a-crown's  worth  of  wisdom  by  experi- 
ence, and  I  hope  it  will  last  for  life.  Never  venture  to  bet 
even  that  your  own  head  is  on  your  shoulders,  or  it  may  turn 
out  a  mistake." 

"  Harry  is  now  the  monkey  that  has  seen  the  world,  and 
I  think  it  will  be  a  whole  year  of  Saturdays  before  he  ever 
commits  such  a  blunder  again,"  continued  Lady  Rockville. 
"  We  must  for  this  once,  not  complain  of  what  has  occur- 
red to  Lady  Harriet,  because  she  would  be  exceedingly  dis- 
pleased, but  certainly  you  are  a  most  ingenious  little  gentle- 
man for  getting  into  scrapes  !" 

Harry  told  upon  himself,  however,  on  his  return  home, 
because  he  had  always  been  accustomed  to  do  so,  knowing 
Major  Graham  and  his  grandmama  were  never  very  angry 
at  any  fault  that  was  confessed  and  repented  of,  therefore  he 


202  THE    AMUSING    DRIVE. 

went  straight  up  stairs,  and  related  his  whole  history  to  uncle 
David,  who  gave  him  a  very  serious  exhortation  again.-t  the 
foolish  and  sinful  vice  of  gambling.  To  keep  him  in  mind 
of  his  silly  adventure  that  day,  Harry  was  also  desired, 
during  the  whole  evening,  to  wear  his  coat  turned  inside 
out,  a  very  frequent  punishment  administered  by  Major 
Graham  for  small  offences,  and  which  was  generally  felt  to 
be  a  terrible  disgrace. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


THE  UNEXPECTED  EVENT. 

His  shout  may  ring  upon  the  hill, 
His  voice  be  echoed  in  the  hall, 
His  merry  laugh  like  music  trill, 
I  scarcely  notice  such  things  now. 


Willis. 


Some  weeks  after  Frank  had  left,  home,  while  lady  Harriet 
and  Major  Graham  were  absent  at  Holiday  House,  Harry 
and  Laura  felt  surprised  to  observe,  that  Mrs.  Crabtree  sud- 
denly became  very  grave  and  silent, — her  voice  seemed  to 
have  lost  half  its  loudness, — her  countenance  looked  rather 
pale, — and  they  both  escaped  being  scolded  on  several  oc- 
casions, when  Harry  himself  could  not  but  think  he  de- 
served it.  Once  or  twice  he  ventured  to  do  things  that  at 
other  times  he  dared  not  have  attempted,  "  merely  as  an  ex- 
periment," he  said,  "  like  that  man  in  the  menagerie,  who 
put  his  head  into  the  lion's  mouth,  without  feeling  quite  sure 
whether  it  would  be  bit  off  the  next  moment  or  not ;"  but 
though  Mrs.  Crabtree  evidently  saw  all  that  passed,  she 
turned  away  with  a  look  of  sadness,  and  said  not  a  word. 

What  could  be  the  matter  1  Harry  almost  wished  she 
would  fly  into  a  good  passion  and  scold  him,  it  became  so 
extraordinary  and  unnatural  to  see  Mrs.  Crabtree  sitting  all 
day  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  sewing  in  silence,  and  scarcely 
looking  up  from  her  work  ;  but  still  the  wonder  grew,  for 


204  THE    UNEXPECTED    EVENT. 

she  seemed  to  become  worse  and  worse  every  day.  Harry 
dressed  up  the  cat  in  an  old  cap  and  frock  of  Laura's, — he 
terrified  old  Jowlcr  by  putting  him  into  the  shower-bath, — 
and  let  ofV  a  few  crackers  at  the  nursery  window, — but  it 
seemed  as  if  he  might  have  fired  a  cannon  without  being 
scolded  by  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who  merely  turned  her  head 
round  for  a  minute,  and  then  silently  resumed  her  work. 
Laura  even  fancied  that  Mrs.  Crabtree  was  once  in  tears, 
but  that  seemed  quite  impossible,  so  she  tliought  no  more 
about  it,  till  one  morning,  when  they  had  begun  to  despair 
of  ever  hearing  more  about  the  business,  and  were  whisper- 
ing together  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  observing  that  she 
looked  duller  than  ever,  they  were  surprised  to  hear  Mrs. 
Crabtree  calling  them  both  to  come  near  her.  She  looked 
very  pale,  and  was  beginning  to  say  something,  when  her 
voice  suddenly  became  so  husky  and  indistinct,  that  she 
seemed  unable  to  proceed  ;  therefore,  motioning  with  her 
hand  for  them  to  go  away,  she  began  sewing  very  rapidly, 
as  she  had  done  before,  breaking  her  threads,  and  pricking 
her  fingers,  at  every  stitch. 

Laura  and  Harry  silently  looked  at  each  other  with  some 
apprehension,  and  the  nursery  now  became  so  perfectly  still, 
that  a  feather  falling  on  the  ground  would  have  been  heard. 
This  had  continued  for  some  time,  when  at  last  Laura  upon 
tiptoe  stole  quietly  up  to  where  Mrs.  Crabtree  was  sitting, 
and  said  to  her,  in  a  very  kind  and  anxious  voice,  "I  am 
afraid  you  are  not  well,  Mrs.  Crabtree !  Grandmama  will 
send  for  a  doctor  when  she  comes  home.  Shall  I  ask 
her?" 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Miss  Laura! — never  mind  me! 
Your  grandmama  knows  what  is  the  matter.  It  will  be 
all  one  a  hundred  years  hence,"  answered  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree, in  a  low  husky  voice.  "This  is  a  thing  you  will  be 
very  glad  to  hear  ! — you  must  prepare  to  be  told  some  good 
news  !"  added  she,  forcing  a  laugh,    but   such    a   laugh  as 


THE    UNEXPECTED    EVENT.  205 

Harry  and  Laura  never  heard  before,  for  it  sounded  so 
much  more  like  sorroAV  than  joy.  They  waited  in  great 
suspense  to  hear  what  would  follow,  but  Mrs.  Crabtree,  af- 
ter struggling  to  speak  again  with  composure,  suddenly 
started  off  her  seat,  and  hurried  rapidly  out  of  the  room. 
She  appeared  no  more  in  the  nursery  that  day,  but  next 
morning  when  they  were  at  breakfast,  she  entered  the  room 
with  her  face  very  much  covered  up  in  her  bonnet,  and 
evidently  tried  to  speak  in  her  usual  loud  bustling  voice, 
though  somehow  it  still  sounded  perfectly  different  from 
common.  "Well,  children  !  Lady  Harriet  was  so  kind  as 
to  promise  that  my  secret  should  be  kept  till  I  pleased,  and 
that  no  one  should  mention  it  to  you  but  myself.  I  am  go- 
ing away !" 

"You!"  exclaimed  Harry,  looking  earnestly  in  Mrs. 
Crabtree's  face.     "  Are  you  going  away  1" 

"  Yes,  Master  Harry, — I  leave  this  house  to-day !  Now, 
don't  pretend  to  look  sorry  !  I  know  you  are  not !  I  can't 
bear  children  to  tell  stories.  Who  would  ever  be  sorry  for 
a  cross  old  woman  like  me  ?" 

"  But  perhaps  I  am  sorry  !  Are  you  in  real  earnest  go- 
ing away?'  asked  Harry  again,  with  renewed  astonishment. 
"  On  no  !  it  is  only  a  joke  !" 

"  Do  I  look  as  if  this  were  a  joke  V  asked  Mrs.  Crab- 
tree,  turning  round  her  face,  which  was  bathed  with  tears. 
"  No,  no !  I  am  come  to  bid  you  both  a  long  farewell.  A 
fine  mess  you  will  get  into  now  !  All  your  things  going  to 
rack  and  ruin,  with  nobody  fit  to  look  after  them  !" 

"  But,  Mrs.    Crabtree  !  we  do  not  like  you  to  go  away,' 
said  Laura,  kindly.     "Why  are  you  leaving  us   all  on    a 
sudden  ?  it  is  very  odd  !     I  never  was  so  surprised  in  my 
life !" 

"  Your  papa's  orders  are  come.  He  wrote  me  a  line 
some  weeks  ago,  to  say  that  I  have  been  too  severe.  Per- 
haps that  is  all  true.     I  meant  it   well,  and   we  are   poor 

S- 


206  THE    UNEXPECTED    EVENT. 

creatures,  who  can  only  act  for  the  best.  However,  it  can't 
be  helped  now  !  There's  no  use  in  lamenting  over  spilt 
cream.  You'll  be  the  better  behaved  afterwards.  If  ever  you 
think  of  nie  again,  children,  let  it  be  as  kindly  as  possible. 
Many  and  many  a  time  I  shall  remember  you  both.  I 
never  cared  for  any  young  people  but  yourselves,  and  I 
shall  never  take  charge  of  any  others.  Master  Frank  was 
the  best  boy  in  the  world,  and  you  would  both  have  been  as 
good  under  my  care, — but  it  is  no  matter  now  !" 

"  But  it  does  matter  a  very  great  deal,"  cried  Harry, 
eagerly.  "  You  must  stay  here,  Mrs.  Crabtrcc,  as  long  as 
you  live,  and  a  great  deal  longer!  I  shall  write  a  letter  to 
papa  all  about  it.  A\  e  were  very  troublesome,  and  it  was 
our  own  faults  if  we  were  punished.  Never  mind,  Mrs. 
Crabtree,  but  take  off  your  bonnet  and  sit  down  !  I  am 
going  to  do  some  dreadful  mischief  to-night,  so  you  will  be 
wanted  to  keep  me  in  order." 

Mrs.  Crabtree  laid  her  hand  upon  Harry's  head  in  si- 
lence, and  there  was  something  so  solemn  and  serious  in 
her  manner,  that  he  saw  it  would  be  useless  to  remonstrate 
any  more.  She  then  held  out  her  hand  to  Laura,  endea- 
vouring to  smile  as  she  did  so,  but  it  was  a  vain  attempt,  for 
her  lip  quivered,  and  she  turned  away,  saying,  "  Who 
would  ever  believe  I  should  make  such  a  fool  of  myself ! 
Farewell  to  you  both  !  and  let  nobody  speak  ill  of  me  after 
I  am  gone,  if  you  can  help  it!" 

Without  looking  round,  Mrs.  Crabtree  hurried  out  of  the 
nursery  and  closed  the  door,  leaving  Harry  and  liaura  per- 
fectly bewildered  with  astonishment  at  this  sudden  event, 
which  seemed  more  like  a  dream  than  a  reality.  They  both 
felt  exceedingly  melancholy,  hardly  able  to  believe  that  she 
had  formerly  been  at  all  cross,  while  thoy  stood  at  the  win- 
dow with  tear.-i  in  their  eyes,  watching  the  departure  of  her 
wcU-knowu  blue  cheat,  on   a   whccl-barrow,    and   taking  u 


THE    UNEXPECTED    EVENT.  207 

last  look  of  her  red  gown  and  scarlet  shawl  as  she  hastily 
followed  it. 

For  several  weeks  to  come,  whenever  the  door  opened, 
Harry  and  Laura  almost  expected  her  to  enter,  but  month 
after  month  elapsed,  and  Mrs.  Crabtree  appeared  no  more, 
till  one  day,  at  their  earnest  entreaty.  Lady  Harriet  took 
them  a  drive  of  some  miles  into  the  country,  to  see  the  neat 
little  lodijing  by  the  sea-side  where  she  lived,  and  main- 
tained herself  by  sewing,  and  by  going  out  occasionally  as 
a  sick-nurse.  A  more  delightful  surprise  certainly  never 
could  have  been  given  than  when  Harry  and  Laura  tapped 
at  the  cottage  door,  which  was  opened  by  Mrs.  Crabtree  her- 
self, who  started  back  with  an  exclamation  of  joyful  amaze- 
ment, and  looked  as  if  she  could  scarcely  believe  her  eyes  on 
beholding  them,  while  they  laughed  at  the  joke  till  tears  were 
running  down  their  cheeks.  "  Is  Mrs.  Crabtree  at  home  1" 
said  Harry,  trying  to  look  very  grave. 

"  Grandmama  says  we  may  stay  here  for  an  hour,  while 
she  drives  along  the  shore,"  added  Laura,  stepping  into  the 
house  with  a  very  merry  face.  "  And  how  do  you  do,  Mrs. 
Crabtree?" 

"  Very  well.  Miss  Laura,  and  very  happy  to  see  you. 
What  a  tall  girl  you  are  become !  and  Master  Harry  too  ! 
looking  quite  over  his  own  shoulders  !" 

After  sitting  some  time,  Mrs.  Crabtree  insisted  on  their 
having  some  dinner  in  her  cottage  ;  so  making  Harry  and 
Laura  sit  down  on  each  side  of  a  large  blazing  fire,  she 
cooked  some  most  delicious  pancakes  for  them  in  rapid 
succession,  as  fast  as  they  could  eat,  tossing  them  high  in 
the  air  first,  and  then  rolling  up  each  as  it  was  fried,  with  a 
large  spoonful  of  jam  in  the  centre,  till  Harry  and  Laura  at 
last  said,  that  unless  Mrs.  Crabtree  supplied  fresh  appetites, 
she  need  make  no  more  pancakes,  for  they  thought  even 
Peter  Grey  himself  could  scarcely  have  finished  all  she  pro- 
vided. 


208  THE    UNEXI'ECTKD    EVENT. 

Harry  had  now  been  several  months  constantly  attending 
school,  where  he  became  a  great  favourite  with  the  boys, 
and  a  great  torment  to  the  masters,  while,  for  his  own  part, 
he  liked  it  twenty  times  better  than  he  had  expected,  because 
the  lessons  were  tolerably  easy  to  a  clever  boy,  as  he  really 
was,  and  the  games  at  cricket  and  foot-ball  in  the  play- 
ground put  him  perfectly  wild  with  joy.  Every  boy  at 
school  seemed  to  be  his  particular  friend,  and  many  called 
him  "the  holiday-maker,"  because,  if  ever  a  holiday  was 
wished  for,  Harry  always  became  leader  in  tlie  scheme. 
The  last  morning  of  Peter  Grey's  appearing  at  school, 
he  got  the  name  of  "  the  copper  cai)tain,"  because  Mr. 
Lexicon  having  fined  him  half-a-crown,  for  not  knowing 
one  of  his  lessons,  he  brought  the  whole  sum  in  half-pence, 
carrying  them  in  his  hat,  aiid  gravely  counting  them  all  out, 
with  such  a  pains-taking,  good-boy  look,  that  any  one,  to 
see  him,  would  have  supposed  he  was  quite  penitent  and 
sorry  for  his  misconduct  ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  finished  the 
task  and  ranged  all  the  half-pence  neatly  in  rows  along  Mr. 
Lexicon's  desk,  than  he  was  desired,  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
to  leave  the  room  instantly,  and  never  to  return,  which 
accordingly  he  never  did,  having  started  next  day  on  the 
top  of  the  coach  for  Portsmouth,  and  the  last  peep  Harry  got 
of  him,  he  was  buying  a  perfect  mountain  of  gingerbread 
out  of  an  old  man's  basket,  to  cat  by  the  way. 

Meantime  Laura  had  lessons  from  a  regular  day-govcrncss, 
who  came  every  morning  at  seven,  and  never  disappeared 
till  four  in  the  afternoon,  so,  as  Mrs.  Crabtrec  remarked, 
"  the  puir  thing  was  perfectly  dcaved  wi'  edication,"  but 
she  made  such  rapid  i)rogres8,  th.-jt  uncle  David  said  it  would 
be  difiicult  to  decide  whether  she  was  growing  fastest  in 
body  or  in  mind.  Iiaura  seemed  born  to  be  under  the  tuition 
of  none  but  ill-tempered  people,  and  Madame  I'irouctte  ap- 
peared in  a  constant  state  of  irritability.  During  the  music- 
lessons,  she  sat  close  to  the  piano,  with  a  pair  of  sharp- 


THE    UNEXPECTED    EVENT.  209 

pointed  scissors  in  her  hand,  and  whenever  Laura  played  a 
wrong  note,  she  stuck  their  points  into  the  offending  finger, 
saying  sometimes  in  an  angry  foreign  accent,  "  put  your 
toe  upon  'dis  note  !    I  tell  you,  put  your  toe  upon  'dis  note  !" 

"  My  finger,  I  suppose  you  mean  V  asked  Laura,  trying 
not  to  laugh. 

"  Ah  !  fingare  and  toe  !  dat  is  all  one  !  Speak  not  a 
word  !  take  hold  of  your  tongue." 

"Laura!"  said  Major  Graham,  one  day,  "I  would  as 
soon  hear  a  gong  sounded  at  my  ear  for  half  an  hour,  as 
most  of  the  fine  pieces  you  perform  now.  Taste  and  ex- 
pression are  quite  out  of  date,  but  the  chief  object  of  ambition 
is,  to  seem  as  if  you  had  four  hands  instead  of  two,  from 
the  torrent  of  notes  produced  at  once.  If  ever  you  wish  to 
please  my  old-fashioned  ears,  give  me  melody, — something 
that  touches  the  heart  and  dwells  in  the  memory, — then 
years  afterwards,  when  we  hear  it  again,  the  language  seems 
familiar  to  our  feelings,  and  we  listen  with  deep  delight  to 
sounds  recalling  a  thousand  recollections  of  former  days, 
which  are  brought  back  by  music  (real  music)  with  dis- 
tinctness and  interest  which  nothing  else  can  equal. 

During  more  than  two  years,  while  Harry  and  Laura 
were  rapidly  advancing  in  education,  they  received  many 
interesting  letters  from  Frank,  expressing  the  most  affec- 
tionate anxiety  to  hear  of  their  being  well  and  happy,  while 
his  paper  was  filled  with  amusing  accounts  of  the  various 
wonderful  countries  he  visited  ;  and  at  the  bottom  of  the 
paper,  he  always  very  kindly  remembered  to  send  them  an 
order  on  his  banker,  as  he  called  uncle  David,  drawn  up  in 
proper  form,  saying,  "  Please  to  pay  Master  Harry  and  Miss 
Laura  Graham  the  sum  of  five  shillings  on  my  account. 
Francis  Arthur  Graham." 

In  Frank's  gay,  merry  epistles,  he  kept  all  his  little  an- 
noyances or  vexations  to  himself,  and  invariably  took  up 
the  pen  with  such  a  desire  to  send  cheerfulness  into  his  own 

s2 


210 


THE    UNEXPECTED    EVENT. 


beloved  homo,  that  his  letters  might  have  been  written  with 
a  sun-bcain,  they  were  so  full  of  warmth  and  vivacity.  It 
seemed  always  a  fair  wind  to  Frank,  for  he  looked  upon  the 
best  side  of  every  thing,  and  never  teazed  his  absent  friends 
with  comi)laints  of  distresses  they  could  not  remedy,  except 
when  ho  frcquontly  mentioned  his  sorrow  at  being  separated 
from  them,  adding,  that  he  often  wished  it  were  possible  to 
meet  them  during  one  day  in  every  year,  to  tell  all  his 
thoughts,  and  to  hear  theirs  in  return,  for  sometimes  now, 
during  the  night  watches,  when  all  other  resources  failed, 
he  entertained  himself,  by  imagining  the  circle  of  home  all 
gathered  around  him,  and  by  inventing  what  each  individual 
would  say  iipon  any  subjects  he  liked,  while  all  his  adven- 
tures acquired  a  double  interest,  from  considering  that  the 
recital  would  one  day  amuse  his  dear  friends  when  their 
happy  meeting  at  last  took  place.  Frank  was  not  so  over- 
anxious about  his  own  comfort,  as  to  feel  very  much  irri- 
tated and  discomposed  at  any  privations  that  fell  in  his 
way,  and  once  sitting  up  in  the  middle  of  a  dark  night, 
with  the  rain  pouring  in  torrents,  and  the  wind  blowing  a 
perfect  hurricane,  he  drew  his  watch-coat  round  him,  say- 
ing good  humouredly  to  his  grumbling  companions,  "  Thi^j 
is  by  no  means  so  bad  !  and  whatever  change  takes  place 
now,  will  ]>robabIy  be  for  the  better.  Sunshine  is  as  sure 
to  come  as  Christmas,  if  you  only  wait  for  it,  and  in  the 
meantime  we  are  all  more  comfortably  off  than  St.  Patrick, 
when  he  had  to  swim  across  a  stormy  sea,  with  his  head 
under  his  arm." 

Frank  often  amused  his  messmates  with  stories  which  he 
had  hr-ard  from  uncle  David,  and  soon  became  the  greatest 
favourite  imaginable  with  them  all,  while  he  frequently  en- 
deavoured  to  lead  their  minds  to  the  same  sure  foundation 
of  happiness  which  he  always  found  the  best  security  of  his 
own.  He  had  louir  iifcn  tauiiht  to  know  that  a  vessel  might 
a.s  well  be  steered  without  rudiicr  or   compass,  as  any   indi- 


THE    UNKXPECTED    EVENT.  211 

vidual  be  brought  into  a  haven  of  peace,  unless  directed  by 
the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  and  his  delight  was  frequently  to  study 
such  passages  as  these  :  "  When  thou  passest  through  the 
waters,  I  will  be  with  thee  ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they 
shall  not  overflow  thee  ;  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire, 
thou  shalt  not  be  burned  ;  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle 
upon  thee.  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  thy  Saviour." 


CHAPTER  XV. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  VOYAGE. 

Full  little  know'st  thou,  thai  hast  not  tried, 
How  strange  it  is  in  "  steam-boat  "  long  to  bide,— 
To  fret  thy  soul  with  crosses  and  with  cares, 
To  eat  thy  heart  through  comfortless  despairs. 
To  speed  to-day — to  be  put  back  to-morrow — 
To  feed  on  hope — to  pine  with  fear  and  sorrow. 

SPENEEn. 

As  Harry  and  liaura  grew  older,  they  were  gradually  treat- 
ed like  friends  and  companion.s  by  Lady  Harriet  and  Ma- 
jor Graham,  who  improved  their  minds  by  frequent  inte- 
re.5ting  conversations,  in  which  knowledge  and  principle 
were  in.scnsibly  instilled  into  their  minds,  not  by  formal  in- 
struction, but  merely  by  mentioning  facts,  or  expressing 
opinions  and  sentiments  such  as  naturally  arose  out 
of  the  subjects  under  discussion,  and  accustoming  tho 
young  people  themselves  to  feel  certain  that  their  own 
remarks  and  thoughts  were  to  be  heard  with  the  same  inte- 
rest as  those  of  any  other  person.  No  surprise  was  ex- 
pressed, if  they  appeared  more  acute  or  more  amusing  than 
might  have  been  expected, — no  angry  contempt  betrayed  it- 
self if  they  spoke  foolishly,  unless  it  were  something  posi- 
tively wrong  ;  and  thus  iMajor  (iraham  and  Lady  Harriet 
succeeded  in  making  that  very  diflicult  transition  from  treat- 
ing children  a.s  toys,  to  becoming  their  confidential  friond.s, 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  213 

and  most  trusted,  as  well  as  most  respected  and  beloved  as- 
sociates. 

Frank  had  been  upwards  of  five  years  cruizing  on  vari- 
ous stations  abroad,  and  many  officers  who  had  seen  him, 
gave  such  agreeable  reports  to  Major  Graham  of  his  admir- 
able conduct  on  several  occasions,  and  of  his  having  turned 
out  so  extremely  handsome  and  pleasing,  that  Lady  Harriet 
often  wished,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  it  were  possible  she 
might  live  to  see  him  once  again,  though  her  own  daily  in- 
creasing infirmities  rendered  that  hope  every  hour  more  im- 
probable. She  was  told  that  he  spoke  of  her  very  frequent- 
ly, and  said  once  when  he  met  an  aged  person  at  the  Cape, 
"  I  would  give  all  I  possess  on  earth,  and  ten  times  more, 
if  I  had  it,  to  see  my  dear  grandmother  as  well,  and  to  meet 
her  once  more."  This  deeply  affected  Lady  Harriet, 
who  was  speaking  one  day  with  unusual  earnestness  of  the 
comfort  it  gave,  whatever  might  be  the  will  of  Providence 
in  respect  to  herself,  that  Frank  seemed  so  happy,  and  liked 
his  profession  so  well,  when  the  door  flew  open,  and  An- 
drew hastened  into  the  room,  his  old  face  perfectly  wrinkled 
with  delight,  while  he  displayed  a  letter  in  his  hand,  saying 
in  a  tone  of  breathless  agitation,  as  he  delivered  it  to  Major 
Graham,  "  The  post-mark  is  Portsmouth,  Sir  !" 

Lady  Harriet  nearly  rose  from  her  seat  with  an  exclama- 
tion of  joy,  but  unable  for  the  exertion,  she  sunk  back,  cov- 
ering her  face  with  her  hands,  and  listening  in  speechless 
suspense  to  hear  whether  Frank  had  indeed  returned.  Har- 
ry and  Laura  eagerly  looked  over  Major  Graham's  shoulder, 
and  Andrew  lingered  anxiously  at  the  door,  till  this  welcome 
letter  was  hurriedly  torn  open  and  read.  The  direction  was 
certainly  Frank's  writing,  though  it  seemed  very  different 
from  usual,  but  the  contents  filled  Major  Graham  with  a  de- 
gree of  consternation  and  alarm,  which  he  vainly  endea- 
voured to  conceal,  for  it  informed  him  that,  during  a  despe- 
rate engagement  with  some  slave-ships  off"  the  coast  of  Afri- 


214  AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE. 

ca,  Frank  had  been  most  severely  wounded,  from  which  he 
scarcely  recovered  before  a  violent  attack  of  fever  reduced 
him  so  extremely,  that  the  doctors  declared  his  only  chance 
of  rchftoration  was  to  be  invalided  home  immediately  ; 
"  therefore,"  added  he,  "  you  must  all  unite  a  prayer  for  my 
recovery,  with  a  thanksgiving  for  my  return,  and  I  can 
scarcely  regret  an  illness  that  restores  me  to  home.  My 
heart  is  already  with  you  all,  but  my  frail  shattered  body 
must  rest  some  days  in  London,  as  the  voyairc  from  Sierra 
Leone  has  been  extremely  fatiguing  and  tedious." 

Lady  Harriet  n)ade  not  a  single  remark  when  this  let- 
ter was  closed,  but  tears  coursed  each  other  rapidly  down 
her  aged  checks,  while  she  slowly  removed  her  hands  from 
her  face,  and  gazed  at  Major  Graham,  who  seated  himself  by 
her  side,  in  evident  agitation,  and  calling  back  Andrew  when 
he  was  leaving  the  room,  he  said,  in  accents  of  unusual 
emotion,  "Desire  John  to  inquire  immediately  whether  any 
steam-boat  sails  for  London  to-day." 

"  You  arc  right !"  said  Lady  Harriet,  feebly.  "  Oh  !  that 
I  could  accompany  you !  But  bring  him  to  me  if  possible. 
I  dare  not  hope  to  go.  Surely  we  shall  meet  at  last.  Now 
indeed  I  feel  my  own  weakness,  when  I  cannot  fly  to  see 
him.  But  he  will  be  quite  able  for  the  journey.  Frank 
had  an  excellent  constitution, — he — he  was — " 

Lady  Harriet's  voice  failed,  and  she  burst  into  a  convul- 
sive agony  of  tears. 

A  few  hours,  and  uncle  David  had  embarked  for  Jjondon, 
where,  after  a  short  passage,  he  arrived  at  his  usual  lodgings 
in  St.  James'  Place;  but  some  days  elapsed,  during  which 
he  laboured  in  vain  to  discover  the  smallest  trace  of  Frank, 
who  had  omitted,  in  his  hurried  letter  from  PortsmoiUh,  to 
mention  where  he  intended  living  in  town.  One  evening, 
fatigued  with  his  long  and  unavailing  search,  Major  Gra- 
ham sat  down,  at  the  British  Coflec-house,  to  take  some  re- 
freshment before  resuming  his  inquiries,  and  was  afterwards 


^N    UNEXl'ECTED    VOYAGE.  215 

about  to  leave  the  room,  when  he  observed  a  very  tall  inter- 
esting young  man,  exceedingly  emaciated,  who  strolled  lan- 
guidly into  the  room,  with  so  feeble  a  step,  that  he  scarcely 
seemed  able  to  support  himself.  The  stranger  took  off  his 
hat,  sunk  into  a  scat,  and  passed  his  fingers  through  the 
dark  masses  of  curls  that  hung  over  his  pale  white  forehead, 
his  large  eyes  closed  heavily  with  fatigue,  his  cheek  assumed 
a  hectic  glow,  and  his  head  sunk  upon  his  hand.  In  a  low 
subdued  voice  he  gave  some  directions  to  the  waiter,  and 
Major  Graham,  after  gazing  for  a  moment  with  melancholy 
interest  at  this  apparently  consumptive  youth,  was  about  to 
depart,  when  a  turn  of  the  young  man's  countenance  caused 
him  to  start ;  he  looked  again  more  earnestly — every  fibre 
of  his  frame  seemed  suddenly  to  thrill  with  apprehension, 
and  at  last,  in  a  voice  of  doubt  and  astonishment,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Frank  !" 

The  stranger  sprung  from  his  seat,  gazed  eagerly  round 
the  room,  rushed  into  the  arms  of  Major  Graham,  and 
fainted. 

Long  and  anxiously  did  uncle  David  watch  for  the  res- 
toration of  Frank,  while  every  means  were  used  to  revive 
him,  and  when  at  length  he  did  regain  his  consciousness, 
no  time  was  lost  in  conveying  him  to  St.  James'  Place, 
where,  after  being  confined  to  bed,  and  attended  by  Sir  Ast- 
ley  Cooper  and  Sir  Henry  Halford,  during  some  days,  they 
united  in  recommending  that  he  should  be  carried  some 
miles  out  of  town,  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Hammersmith, 
for  change  of  air,  till  the  efiect  of  medicine  and  diet  could 
be  fully  tried.  Frank  earnestly  entreated  that  he  might  be 
taken  immediately  to  his  own  home,  but  this  the  doctors 
pronounced  quite  impossible,  privately  hinting  to  Major 
Graham  that  it  seemed  very  doubtful  indeed  whether  he 
could  ever  be  moved  there  at  all,  or  whether  he  might  sur- 
vive above  a  few  months. 

"  Home  is  anywhere  that  my  own  family  live  with  me," 


216  AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYACiE. 

said  Frank  in  a  tone  of  resignation,  when  he  heard  a  jour- 
ney to  Scotland  pronounced  impossible.  ''  It  is  not  where 
I  am,  but  who  I  see,  that  signifies  ;  and  this  meeting  with 
you,  uncle  David,  did  me  more  good  than  an  ocean  of 
physic.  Oh !  if  I  could  only  converse  with  grandmama 
for  half-an-hour,  and  speak  to  dear  Harry  and  Laura,  it 
would  be  too  much  happiness.  I  want  to  see  how  much 
they  are  both  grown,  and  to  hear  their  merry  laugh  again. 
Perhaps  I  never  may  !  But  if  I  get  worse,  they  must  come 
here.  I  have  many  things  to  say  !  Why  should  they  not 
set  off  now  ? — immediately  !  If  I  recover,  we  might  be 
such  a  happy  party  to  Scotland  again.  For  grandmama,  I 
know  it  is  impossible  ;  but  will  you  write  and  a.sk  her  about 
Harry  and  Laura?     The  sooner  the  better,  uncle  David, 

because  I  often  think  it  probable " 

Frank  coloured  and  hesitated  ;  he  looked  earnestly  at  his 
uncle  for  some  moments,  who  saw  what  was  meant,  and 
tlien  added, 

"  There  is  one  person  more,  far  distant,  and  little  think- 
ing of  what  is  to  come,  who  must  be  told.  Yuu  have 
always  been  a  father  to  me,  uncle  David,  but  he  also  would 
wish  to  be  here  now.  Little  as  we  have  been  together,  I 
know  how  much  he  loves  me." 

Frank's  request  became  no  sooner  known  than  it  was 
complied  with  by  Lady  Harriet,  who  thought  it  belter  not 
to  distress  Harry  and  Laura,  by  mentioning  the  full  extent 
of  his  danger,  but  merely  said,  that  he  f(;it  impatient  for  the 
meeting,  and  that  they  might  prepare  on  the  following  day, 
to  embark  under  charge  of  old  Andrew  and  her  own  maid 
Harrison,  for  a  voyage  to  London,  where  she  hoped  they 
would  find  the  dear  invalid  already  better;  Laura  was  as- 
tonished at  the  agitation  with  which  she  spoke,  and  felt  be- 
wildered and  amazed  by  this  sudden  announcement.  She 
and  Harry  had  once  or  twice  in  their  lives  caught  cold,  and 
spent  a  day  in  bed,  confined  to  a  diet  of  gruel   and   syrup, 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  217 

which  always  proved  an  infallible  remedy  for  the  very  worst 
attacks,  and  they  had  frequently  witnessed  the  severe  suffer- 
ings of  their  grandmama,  from  which,  however,  she  always 
recovered,  and  which  seemed  to  them  the  natural  effects  of 
her  extreme  old  age ;  but  to  imagine  the  possibility  of 
Frank's  life  being  in  actual  danger,  never  crossed  their 
thoughts  for  an  instant,  and,  therefore,  it  was  with  a  feeling 
of  unutterable  joy  that  they  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  Royal 
Pandemonium,  knowing  that  they  were  now  actually  going 
to  meet  Frank. 

Nothing  could  be  a  greater  novelty  to  both  the  young 
travellers  than  the  scene  by  which  they  were  now  surround- 
ed ;  trumpets  were  sounding — bells  ringing — children  cry- 
ing— sailors,  passengers,  carriages,  dogs,  and  baggage  all 
hurrying  on  board  pell-mell,  while  a  jet  of  steam  came  bel- 
lowing forth  from  the  waste-pipe,  as  if  it  were  struggling  to 
get  rid  of  the  huge  column  of  black  smoke  vomited  forth 
by  the  chimney.  Below  stairs  they  were  still  more  asto- 
nished to  find  a  large  cabin,  covered  with  gilding,  red  da- 
mask, and  mirrors,  where  crowds  of  strange-looking  people, 
more  than  half  sick,  and  very  cross,  were  scolding  and 
bustling  about,  bawling  for  their  carpet  bags,  and  trying  to 
be  of  as  much  consequence  as  possible,  while  they  ate  and 
drank  trash,  to  keep  off  sea-sickness,  that  might  have  made 
any  one  sick  on  shore — sipping  brandy  and  water,  or  eating 
peppermint  drops,  according  as  the  case  required.  Among 
those  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  Laura  and  Harry  were  amused  to 
discover  Miss  Perceval,  who  had  hastened  into  bed  already, 
in  case  of  being  ill,  and  was  talking  unceasingly  to  any 
one  who  would  listen,  besides  ordering  and  scolding  a  poor 
sick  maid,  scarcely  able  to  stand.  Her  head  was  enveloped 
in  a  most  singular  night-cap,  ornamented  with  old  ribbons 
and  artificial  flowers — she  wore  a  bright  yellow  shawl,  and 
had  taken  into  the  berth  beside  her,  a  little  Blenheim  spa- 
niel— a  parrot — and  a  cage  of  canary  birds,  the  noisy  iuha- 

T 


218  AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE. 

bitants  of  which  sung  at  ihe  full  pitch  of  their  voices  till  the 
very  latest  hour  of  the  night,  being  kept  awake  by  the  lamp 
which  swung  from  side  to  side,  while  nothing  could  be  com- 
pared to  their  volubility  except  the  perpetual  clamour  occa- 
sioned by  Miss  Perceval  herself. 

"  I  declare  these  little  narrow  beds  arc  no  better  than 
coffins!  I  never  saw  such  places !  and  the  smell  is  like 
singed  blankets  and  cabbages  boiled  in  melted  oil  !  It  is 
enough  to  make  anybody  ill !  IMary  !  go  and  fetch  me  a  cup 
of  tea,  and,  do  you  hear !  tell  those  people  on  deck  not  to 
mal<e  such  a  noise — it  gives  me  a  headache!  Be  sure  you 
say  that  1  shall  complain  to  the  Captain,  Reach  mc  some 
bread  and  milk  for  th«!  parrot, — fetch  my  smelling  bottle, — 
go  to  the  saloon  for  that  book  I  was  reading, — and  search 
again  for  the  pocket-handkerchief  I  mislaid.  It  cost  ten 
guineas,  and  must  be  found.  I  hop-o  no  one  has  stolen  it! 
Now  do  make  haste  with  the  tea  !  "What  are  you  dawdling 
there  for?  If  you  do  not  stop  that  noise  on  deck,  Mary,  I 
shall  bo  exceedingly  displeased !  Some  of  those  horrid  peo- 
ple in  the  steerage  were  smoking  too,  but  tell  the  Captain 
that  if  I  come  up  he  must  forbid  them.  It  is  a  trick  to 
make  us  all  sick  and  save  ])rovisions.  I  observed  a  gun- 
case  in  the  saloon  too,  which  is  a  most  dangerous  thing,  for 
guns  always  go  ofl'when  you  least  expect.  If  anyone  fires, 
I  shall  fall  into  hysterics.  I  shall,  indeed  !  "What  a  creak- 
ing noise  the  vessel  makes !  I  hope  there  is  no  danger  of 
its  splitting !  We  ought  not  to  goon  sailing  after  dusk. 
The  Captain  must  positively  cast  anchor  during  the  night, 
that  we  may  have  no  more  of  this  noise  or  motion,  but  sleep 
in  peace  and  fiuietnoss  till  morning." 

Soon  after  the  Royal  Pandemonium  had  set  sail,  or  rather 
BCt  fire,  the  wind  freshened,  and  the  pitching  of  the  vessel 
became  so  roui^h,  that  Harry  and  Laura,  with  nrrat  (liffirul- 
ty,  staccrered  to  seats  on  the  deck,  leaving  both  Lady  Har- 
riet's servants  so  very  sick  below,  that  instead  of  being  able 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  219 

to  attend  on  them,  they  gave  nine  times  the  trouble  that  any 
other  passenger  did  on  board,  and  were  not  visible  again 
during  the  whole  voyage.  The  two  young  travellers  now 
sat  down  together,  and  watched,  with  great  curiosity,  several 
groups  of  strangers  on  deck  :  ladies,  half  sick,  trying  to 
entertain  gentlemen  in  seal-skin  travelling  caps  and  pale 
cadaverous  countenances,  smoking  cigars ;  others  opening 
baskets  of  provisions,  and  eating  with  good  sea-faring  ap- 
petite ;  while  one  party  had  a  carriage  on  the  deck  so  filled 
with  luxuries  of  every  kind,  that  there  seemed  no  end  to 
the  multitude  of  Perigord  pies,  German  sausages,  cold 
fowls,  pastry,  and  fruit  that  were  produced  during  the  even- 
ing. The  owners  had  a  table  spread  on  the  deck,  and  ate 
voraciously,  before  a  circle  of  hungry  spectators,  which  had 
such  an  appearance  of  selfishness  and  gluttony,  that  both 
his  young  friends  thought  immediately  of  Peter  Grey. 

As  evening  closed  in,  Harry  and  Laura  began  to  feel 
very  desolate  thus  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  alone, 
while  the  wide  waste  of  waters  around  made  the  scene  yet 
more  forlorn.  They  had  enjoyed  unmingled  delight  iu 
talking  over  and  over  about  their  happy  meeting  with  Frank, 
and  planned  a  hundred  times  howjoyfuUy  they  would  rush  into 
the  house,  and  with  what  pleasure  they  would  relate  all  that  hap- 
pened to  themselves,  after  hearing  from  his  own  mouth  the 
extraordinary  adventures  which  his  letters  had  described. 
Laura  produced  from  her  reticule  several  of  the  last  she  had 
received,  and  laughed  again  over  the  funny  jokes  and  stories 
they  contained,  inventing  many  new  questions  to  ask  him 
on  the  subject,  and  fancying  she  already  heard  his  voice, 
and  saw  his  bright  and  joyous  countenance.  But  now  the 
night  had  grown  so  dark  and  chilly,  that  both  Harry  and 
Laura  felt  themselves  gradually  becoming  cold,  melancholy, 
and  dejected.  They  made  an  effort  to  walk  arm-in-arm  up 
and  down  the  deck,  in  imitation  of  the  i'ew  other  passen- 
gers who  had  been  able  to  remain  out  of  bed,  and  they  tried 


220  AN    UNEXPECTED    VOTACE. 

still  to  talk  cheerfully,  hut  in  .s|)itc  of  every  cfTort,  their 
thoughts  became  mournful.  After  clinging  together  for 
some  time,  and  .staggering  up  and  down,  without  feeling 
in  spirits  to  speak,  they  were  still  shiveringly  cold,  yet  unwil- 
ling to  separate  for  the  night,  when  Harry  suddenly  stood 
still,  grasping  I^aura's  arm  with  a  lock  of  startled  astonish- 
ment, which  caused  her  hastily  to  glance  round  in  the  di- 
rection where  he  was  eagerly  gazing,  but  nothing  became 
visible  except  the  dim  outline  of  a  woman's  figure,  rolled 
up  in  several  enormous  shawls,  and  with  her  bonnet 
slouched  far  over  her  face. 

"  I  am  certain  it  was  her!"  whispered  Harry,  in  a  tone 
of  breathless  amazement  ;   "almost  certain  !" 

"  Who  ?"  asked  Laura,  eagerly. 

Without  answering,  Harry  sprung  forward,  and  seized 
the  unknown  person  by  the  arm,  who  instantly  looked 
round. It  was  Mrs.  Crabtree  ! 

"  1  am  sorry  you  observed  me,  Master  Harry  !  I  did 
not  intend  to  trouble  you  and  Miss  I^aura  during  the 
voyage,"  said  she,  turning  her  fare  slowly  towards  him, 
when,  to  his  surprise,  he  saw  that  the  traces  of  tears  were 
on  her  check,  and  her  manner  appeared  so  subdued,  and  al- 
together so  rlifl'erent  from  former  times,  that  Laura  could 
scarcely  yet  credit  her  senses.     "  I  shall   not  be  at  all  in 

your  way,  children,  but    I I   must   see    Master 

Frank  again.  He  was  always  too  good  for  this  world,  and 
he'll  not  be  here  long — Andrew  told  me  all  about  it,  and  I 
could  not  stay  behind.  I  wish  we  were  all  as  well  prepared, 
and  then  the  sooner  we  die  the  better." 

Harry  and  liaura  listened  in  speechless  consternation  to 
these  words.  The  very  idea  of  losing  Frank  had  never 
iMjforo  crossed  their  imaginations  for  a  moment,  and  they 
could  have  wished  to  belifve  that  what  Mrs.  ("rabtree  said 
wa.s  like  the  ravings  of  delirium,  yet  an  irresistible  feeling 
of  awe  and  alarm  rushed  into  their  minds. 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  221 

"  Miss  Laura!  if  you  want  any  help  in  undressing,  call 
to  me  at  any  time.  I  was  sure  that  doited  body  Harrison 
could  be  of  no  service.  She  never  was  fit  to  take  care  of 
herself,  and  far  less  of  such  as  you.  It  put  me  wild  to  think 
of  your  coming  all  this  way  with  nobody  fit  to  look  after 
you,  and  then  the  distress  that  must  follow." 

*'  But  surely,  Mrs.  Crabtree,  you  do  not  think  Frank  so 
very  ill,"  asked  Laura,  making  an  effort  to  recover  her 
voice,  and  speaking  in  a  tone  of  deep  anxiety  ;  "  he  had 
recovered  from  the  fever,  but  is  only  rather  too  weak  for  tra- 
velling." 

"  Well,  Miss  Laura  !  grief  always  comes  too  soon,  and  I 
would  have  held  my  tongue  had  I  thought  you  did  not  know 
the  worst  already.  If  I  might  order  as  in  former  days,  it 
would  be  to  send  you  both  down  directly,  out  of  this  heavy 
fog  and  cold  wind." 

"  But  you  may  order  us,  Mrs.  Crabtree,"  said  Harry, 
taking  her  kindly  by  the  hand ;  "  we  are  very  glad  to  see 
you  again  !  and  I  shall  do  whatever  you  bid  me  !  So  you 
came  all  this  way  on  purpose  for  us  !     How  very  kind  I" 

"  Master  Harry,  I  would  go  round  the  wide  world  to 
serve  any  one  of  you  !  who  else  have  I  to  care  for  ?  But  it 
was  chiefiy  to  see  Master  Frank.  Let  us  hope  the  best, 
and  pray  to  be  prepared  for  any  event  that  may  come.  All 
things  are  ordained  for  good,  and  we  can  only  make  the 
best  of  what  happens.  The  world  must  go  round, — it  must 
go  round,  and  we  can't  prevent  it." 

Harry  and  Laura  hung  their  heads  in  dismay,  for  there 
was  something  agitated  and  solemn  in  Mrs.  Crabtree's 
manner,  which  astonished  and  shocked  them,  so  they  hur- 
ried silently  to  bed  ;  and  Laura's  pillow  was  drenched  with 
tears  of  anxiety  and  distress  that  night,  though  gradually,  as 
she  thought  of  Frank's  bright  colour  and  sparkling  eyes,  his 
joyous  spirits  and  unbroken  health,  it  seemed  impossible 
that  all  were  so   soon  to  fade  away,  that  the  Avind  should 

t2 


2^"^  AN     UNEXrECTED     VOYACiE. 

have  already  passed  over  them,  and  they  were  gone,  till  hy 
degrees  her  mind  beeame  more  calm  ;  her  hopes  grew  into 
certainties  ;  she  told  herself  twenty  times  over,  that  Mrs. 
Crabtree  must  be  entirely  mistaken,  and  at  last  sunk  into  a 
restless  agitated  slumber. 

Next  day  the  sun  shone,  the  sky  was  clear,  and  every 
thing  appeared  so  full  of  life  and  joy,  that  Harry  and  Laura 
would  have  fancied  the  whole  scene  with  Mrs.  Crabtree  a 
distressing  dream,  had  they  not  been  awakened  to  recollec- 
tion before  six  in  the  morning,  by  the  sound  of  her  voice, 
angrily  rebuking  Miss  Perceval  and  other  ladies,  who  with 
too  good  reason,  were  iirumbling  at  the  hardship  of  sleeping, 
or  rather  vainly  attempting  to  sleep,  in  such  n;irrow  uncom- 
fortable dog-holes.  I^aura  heard  Mrs.  Crabtree  conclude 
an  eloquent  oration  on  the  subject  of  contentment,  by  say- 
ing, "  Indeed,  ladies  !  many  a  brave  man,  and  noblemen's 
sons  too,  have  laid  their  heads  on  the  green  grass,  fighting 
for  you,  so  we  should  put  up  with  a  hard  bed  patiently  for 
one  nicht." 

Miss  Perceval  turned  angrily  away,  and  summoned  her 
maid  to  receive  a  multitude  of  new  directions.  "  Mary,  tell 
the  Captain  that  when  I  looked  out  last,  there  was  scarcely 
any  smoke  coming  out  of  the  funnel,  so  I  am  sure  he  is 
saving  fuel,  and  not  keeping  good  enough  fires  to  carry  us 
on!  I  never  knew  such  shabbiness  !  Tell  the  engineer, 
that  I  insist  on  his  throwing  on  more  coals  immediately. 
Bring  me  some  hot  water,  as  fast  as  possible !  These 
towels  are  so  coarse,  I  cannot,  on  any  account,  use  them. 
At'ter  being  accustomed  to  such  pocket-handkerchiefs  as 
mine,  at  t<n  guineas  each,  one  does  become  particular. 
Can  you  not  find  a  larger  basin  ?  This  looks  like  a  soup- 
plate,  and  it  seems  impossible  here  to  get  enough  of  hot 
water  to  wash  comfortably." 

"  Shesh()»d»l  be  put  into  the  boiler  of  the  steam-boat,"  mut- 
tered Mrs.  Crabtree.     "  1    wish  them  animal-magnifying 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  223 

doctors  would  put  the  young  lady  to  sleep  till  wo  arrive   iu 
London." 

"Now!"  continued  Miss  Perceval,  "get  me  another 
cup  of  tea.  The  last  was  too  sweet,  the  one  before  not 
strong  enough,  and  the  first  half  cold,  but  this  is  worse  than 
any.  Do  remember  to  mention,  that  yesterday  night  the 
steward  sent  up  a  tin  tea-pot,  a  thing  I  cannot  possibly  suf- 
fer again.  We  must  have  the  urn,  too,  instead  of  that 
black  tea-kettle  ;  and  desire  him  to  prepare  some  butter- 
toast — I  am  not  hungry,  so  three  rounds  will  be  enough. 
Let  me  have  some  green  tea  this  time  ;  and  see  that  the 
cream  is  better  than  last  night,  when  I  am  certain  it  was 
thickened  with  chalk  or  snails.  The  jelly,  too,  was  execra- 
ble, for  it  tasted  like  sticking-plaster — I  shall  starve  if  bet- 
ter can't  be  had  ;  and  the  table-cloth  looked  like  a  pair  of 
old  sheets.  Tell  the  steward  all  this,  and  say,  he  must  get 
my  breakfast  ready  on  deck  in  half  an  hour  ;  but  meantime, 
I  shall  sit  here  with  a  book  while  you  brush  my  hair." 

The  sick  persecuted  maid  seemed  anxious  to  do  all  she 
was  bid  ;  so,  after  delivering  as  many  of  the  messages  as 
possible,  she  tried  to  stand  up  and  do  Miss  Perceval's  hair, 
but  the  motion  of  the  vessel  had  greatly  increased,  and  she 
turned  as  pale  as  death,  apparently  on  flie  point  of  sinking 
to  the  ground,  when  Laura,  now  quite  dressed,  quietly 
slipped  the  brush  out  of  her  hand,  and  carefully  brushed 
Miss  Perceval's  thin  locks,  while  poor  Mary  silently  drop- 
ped upon  a  seat,  being  perfectly  faint  with  sickness. 

Miss  Perceval  read  on,  without  observing  the  change  of 
abigails,  till  Harry,  who  had  watched  this  whole  scene  from 
the  cabin-door,  made  a  hissing  noise,  such  as  grooms  do 
when  they  currycomb  a  horse,  which  caused  the  young 
lady  to  look  hastily  round,  when  great  was  Miss  Perceval's 
astonishment  to  discover  her  new  abigail,  with  a  very  pains- 
taking look,  brushing  her  hair,  while  poor  Mary  lay  more 
dead  than  alive  on  the  benches.     "Well !    I   declare  !  was 


224  AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE. 

there  ever  anytliing  so  odd  !"  she  exclaimed  in  a  voice  of 
ama/cincnt.  "  How  very  strange  !  What  can  be  the  matter 
with  i\Iary  !     There  is  no  cud  to  the  plague  of  servants  !" 

"  Or  rather  to  tlic  plague  of  mistresses  !"  thought  Laura, 
while  she  glanced  from  Miss  Perceval's  round,  red  bustling 
face,  to  the  poor  suffering  maid,  who  became  worse  and 
worse  during  the  day,  for  there  came  on  what  sailors  call  "  a 
capful  of  wind,"  which  gradually  rose  to  a  "  stifl' breeze,"  or, 
what  the  passengers  considered  a  hurricane  ;  and,  towards 
night,  it  attained  the  dignity  of  a  real  undeniable  "  storm." 
A  scene  of  indescribable  tumult  then  ensued.  The  Cap- 
tain attempted  to  make  his  voice  heard  above  the  roaring 
tempest,  using  a  torrent  of  unintelligible  nautical  phrases, 
and  an  incessant  volley  of  very  intelligible  oaths.  The  sail- 
ors flew  about,  and  every  plank  ia  the  vessel  seemed  creak- 
ing and  straining,  but  high  above  all,  the  shrill  tones  of 
Miss  Perceval  were  audil)ly  heard,  exclaiming, 

"  Arc  there  enough  of  '  hands'  on  board  ?  Is  there  any 
danger?  Are  you  sure  the  boiler  will  not  burst?  I  wish 
steam-boats  had  never  been  invented  !  People  arc  sure  to 
be  blown  up  to  the  clouds,  or  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean,  or  scalded  to  death  like  so  many  lobsters.  I  cannot 
stand  this  any  longer !  Stop  tlic  ship,  and  set  me  on  shore 
instantly  !" 

I^aura  clung  closer  to  Harry,  and  felt  that  they  were  like 
two  mere  pigmies,  amid  the  wide  waste  of  waters,  rolling 
and  tossing  around  them,  while  his  spirits,  on  the  contrary, 
rose  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement  with  all  he  heard  and 
saw,  till  at  length,  wishing  to  enjoy  more  of  the  "  fun,"  he 
determined  to  venture  above  board.  By  the  time  Harry's 
nose  wa3  on  a  level  with  the  deck,  he  gazed  around,  and 
saw  that  not  a  person  appeared  visilile  except  two  sailors, 
both  la-shed  to  the  hrlm,  while  all  was  silent  now,  except  the 
deafening  noise  made  by  the  wild  waves  and  the  stormy 
blast,  which  seemed  as  if  it  would  blow  his  tcith  down  his 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  225 

throat.  Harry  thought  the  two  men  looked  no  larger  than 
mice  in  such  a  scene,  and  stood,  clinging  to  the  bannisters, 
perfectly  entranced  with  astonishment  and  admiration  at  the 
novelty  of  all  he  saw,  and  thinking  how  often  Frank 
must  have  been  in  such  scenes,  when  suddenly  a  wave 
washed  quite  over  the  deck,  and  he  felt  his  arm  grasped  by 
Mrs.  Crabtree,  who  desired  him  to  come  down  immediately, 
in  a  tone  of  authority  which  he  did  not  even  yet  feel  bold 
enough  to  disobey  ;  therefore,  slowly  and  reluctantly  he  de- 
scended to  the  cabin,  where  the  only  living  thing  that  seemed 
well  enough  to  move,  was  Miss  Perceval's  tongue. 

"  Steward  !"  she  cried,  in  sharp  angry  accents.  "  Stew- 
ard !  here  is  water  pouring  down  the  sky-lights  like  a  show- 
er-bath !  Look  at  my  baud-box  swimming  on  the  floor! 
Mary!  Tiresome  creature  !  don't  you  see  that  ?  My  best 
bonnet  will  be  destroyed !  Send  the  Captain  here  !  He 
must  positively  stop  that  noise  on  deck  ;  it  is  quite  intolera- 
ble. My  head  aches,  as  if  it  would  burst  like  the  boiler  of 
a  steam-boat !  Stupid  man  !  Can't  he  put  into  some  port, 
or  cast  anchor  ?  How  can  he  keep  us  all  uncomfortable  in 
this  way  !  Mary  !  Mary,  I  say !  are  you  deaf?  Steward  ! 
send  one  of  the  sailors  here  to  take  care  of  this  dog !  I 
declare  poor  Frisk  is  going  to  be  sick  !  Mary  !  Mary  !  This 
is  insufferable  !  I  wish  the  Captain  would  come  and  help 
me  to  scold  my  maid  !  I  shall  certainly  give  you  warning, 
Mary." 

This  awful  threat  had  but  little  effect  on  one  who  thought 
herself  on  the  brink  of  being  buried  beneath  the  waves, 
besides  being  too  sick  to  care  whether  she  died  the  next 
minute  or  not ;  and  even  Miss  Perceval's  voice  became 
drowned  at  last  in  the  tremendous  storm  which  raged 
throughout  the  night,  during  which  the  Captain  rather  in- 
creased Laura's  panic,  if  that  were  possible,  by  consider- 
ately putting  his  head  into  the  cabin  now  and  then  to  say, 
"  Don't  be  afraid,  ladies  !     There  is  no  danger !" 


226  AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE. 

"  But  I  must  come  up  and  see  what  you  are  about,  Cap- 
tain!" exclaimed  Miss  Perceval. 

"  You  had  better  be  still,  ma'am,"  replied  Mrs.  Crabtree. 
*'It  is  as  well  to  be  drowned  in  bed  as  on  deck." 

Nothing  gives  a  more  awful  idea  oi"  the  helplessness  of 
man,  and  the  wrath  of  God,  than  a  tempestuous  sea  during 
tlie  gloom  of  midnight;  and  every  mind  on  board  became 
awed  into  silence  and  solemnity  during  this  war  of  ele- 
ments, till  at  length,  towards  morning,  while  the  hurricane 
seemed  yet  raging  with  undiminished  fury,  Laura  suddenly 
gave  an  exclamation  of  rapture,  on  hearing  a  sailor  at  tho 
helm  begin  to  sing  Tom  fowling.  "JSow  I  feel  sure  the 
danger  is  over,"  said  she,  "  otherwise  that  man  could  not  have 
the  heart  to  sing!  If  I  live  a  century,  I  shall  always  like 
a  sailor's  song  for  the  future." 

It  is  seldom  that  any  person's  thankfulness  after  danger 
bears  a  fair  proportion  to  the  fear  they  felt  while  it  lasted ; 
but  Harry  and  Laura  had  been  taught  to  remember  where 
their  gratitude  was  due,  and  felt  it  the  more  deeply  next  day, 
when  they  entered  the  Yarmouth  Roads,  and  were  shewn 
the  masts  of  several  vessels,  appearing  partly  above  the 
water,  which  had  on  various  occasions  been  lost  in  that  wil- 
derness of  shoals,  where  so  many  melancholy  catastrophes 
have  occurred. 

After  sailing  uj)  the  Thames,  and  duly  staring  at  (Green- 
wich hospital,  tile  hulks,  and  the  Tower  of  London,  they 
landed  at  last;  and  having  offered  Mrs.  Crabtree  a  place  in 
the  hackney  coach,  they  hurried  impatiently  into  it,  eager 
for  the  happy  moment  of  meeting  with  Frank.  Harry,  in 
his  ardour,  thought  that  no  carriage  had  ever  driven  so 
slowly  before.  He  wished  there  had  been  a  rail-road  through 
the  town  ;  and  far  from  wasting  a  thought  upon  the  novel- 
ties of  Holborn  or  Piccadilly,  he  and  Laura  gained  no  idea 
of  the  metropolis,  more  distinct  than  that  of  tho  Irishman 
who  complained  he  could  not  sec  liondou  for  the  quantity 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VOYAGE.  227 

of  houses.  One  only  idea  filled  their  hearts,  and  brighten- 
ed their  countenances,  while  they  looked  at  each  other  with 
a  smile  of  delight,  saying,  "  now,  at  last,  we  are  going  to 
see  Frank  !" 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  ARRIVAL. 

"What  is  life  1 a  variod  tale, 

Deeply  moving,  quickly  told. 


Willis. 


"On!  what  a  lovely  cottage!"  exclaimed  Laura,  iu  an 
ecstacy  of  joy,  when  they  stopped  before  a  beautiful  house, 
with  large  airy  windows  down  to  the  ground  ;  walls  that 
Bcemed  one  brilliant  mass  of  roses;  rich  flowery  meadows 
in  front,  and  a  bright  smooth  lawn  behind,  stretching  down 
to  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Thames,  which  icflcctcd  on  its 
gla.ssy  surface  innumerable  boats,  filled  with  gay  groups  of 
merry  people.  "  That  is  such  a  place  as  I  have  often  dream- 
ed of,  but  never  saw  before  !  It  seems  made  for  perfect 
happiness  !" 

"  Yes  !  how  dtlightful  to  live  here  with  Frank  and  uncle 
David!"  added  Harry.  "We  shall  be  sailing  on  the  water 
all  day  !" 

The  cottage  gate  was  now  opened,  and  Major  Craham 
him.'iclf  appeared  under  the  porch  ;  but  in.stcad  of  hurrying 
forward,  as  he  always  formerly  did,  to  welcome  them  after 
the  very  shortest  separation,  he  stood  gravely  and  silently  at 
the  door,  without  so  much  as  raising  his  eyes  from  the 
ground ;  and  the  paleness  of  his  countenance  filled  both 
Harry  and  Laura  with  astonishment.     They  flew   to   meet 


THE    ARRIVAL.  229 

him,  making  an  exclamation  of  joy ;  but  after  embracing 
them  affectionately,  he  did  not  utter  a  word,  and  led  the  way 
with  hurried  and  agitated  steps  into  a  sitting  room. 

"  Where  is  Frank?"  exclaimed  Harry,  looking  eagerly 
round.  "Why  is  he  not  here  1  Call  him  down  !  Tell  him 
we  are  come !" 

A  long  pause  ensued ;  and  Laura  trembled  when  she  look- 
ed at  her  uncle,  who  was  some  moments  before  he  could 
speak,  and  sat  down  taking  each  of  them  by  the  hand,  with 
such  a  look  of  sorrow  and  commiseration,  that  they  were 
filled  with  alarm. 

«  My  dear  Harry  and  Laura !"   said  he  solemnly,  "  you 
have  never  known  grief  till  now,  but  if  you  love  me,  listen 
with  composure.     I  have  sad  news  to  tell,  yet  it  is  of  the 
very  greatest  consequence  that  you  should  bear  up  with  for- 
titude.    Frank  is  extremely  ill  ;  and  the  joy  he  felt  about 
your  coming,  has  agitated  him  so   much,  that  he  is  worse 
than  you  can  possibly  conceive.     It  probably  depends  upon 
your  conduct  now,  whether  he  survives  this  night  or  not. 
Frank  knows  you  are  here ;  he  is  impatient  for  you  to  em- 
brace him  ;  he  becomes  more  and  more  agitated  every  mo- 
ment the  meeting  is  delayed ;  yet  if  you  give  way  to  child- 
ish grief,  or  even  to  childish  joy,  upon  seeing  him  again, 
the  Doctors  think  it  may  cause  his  immediate  death.     You 
might  hear  his  breathing  in  any  part  of  this  house.     He  is 
in  the  lowest  extreme  of  weakness  !    It  will  be  a  dreadful 
scene  for  you  both.     Tell  me,  Harry  and  Laura,  can  you 
trust  yourselves  1  Can  you,  for  Frank's  own  sake,  enter  his 
room  this  moment,  as  quietly  as  if  you  had  seen  him  yester- 
day, and  speak  to  him  with  composure  ?" 

Laura  felt,  on  hearing  these  words,  as  if  the  very  earth 
had  opened  under  her  feet, — a  choking  sensation  arose  in 
her  throat, — her  colour  fled, — her  limbs  shook, — her  whole 
countenance  became  convulsed  with  anguish, — but  making 

U 


230  TUE   ARRIVAL. 

a  resolute  effort,  she  looked   anxiously  at  Harry,  and  then 
said,  in  a  low,  almost  inaudible  voice, 

''  Uncle  David  !  we  are  able, — God  will  strengthen  us.  I 
dare  not  think  a  moment.  The  sooner  it  is  done  \\\c  better. 
Let  us  go  now." 

Major  Graliam  slowly  led  the  way  without  speaking,  till 
they  reach  the  bed-room  door,  where  he  paused  for  a  mo- 
ment, while  Harry  and  Laura  listened  to  the  gasping  sound 
of  Frank  struggling  for  breath. 

"Remember  you  will  scarcely  know  him,"  whispered  he, 
looking  doubtfully  at  J^aura's  pallid  countenance  ;  "but  a 
.single  expression  of  emotion  may  be  fatal.  Show  your  love 
for  Frank  now,  my  dear  children.  Sparc  him  all  agitation, 
— forget  your  own  feelings  for  his  sake." 

AVhen  Harry  and  Laura  entered  the  room,  Frank  buried 
his  face  in  his  hands,  and  leaned  them  on  tlie  table,  saying, 
in  convulsive  accents,  "  Go  away,  Laura  ! — oh  go  away 
just  now  !   I  cannot  bear  it  yet ! — leave  me  ! — leave  me  !" 

If  Laura  had  been  turned  into  marble  at  the  moment,  she 
could  not  have  seemed  more  perfectly  calm,  for  her  mind 
was  wound  up  to  an  almost  supernatural  effort,  and  advanc- 
ing to  the  place  where  he  sat,  without  attempting  to  speak, 
she  took  Frank  by  the  hand — Hurry  did  the  same ;  and  not 
a  sound  was  heard  for  some  moments,  but  the  convulsive 
struggles  of  Frank  himself,  whih;  he  gasped  for  breath,  and 
vainly  tried  to  speak,  till  at  length  he  raised  his  head  and 
fixed  his  eyes  on  Laura,  who  felt  then,  for  the  first  time, 
btruck  with  the  dreadlul  conviction,  that  tliis  meeting  was 
l)Ul  a  [»relude  to  tlieir  immediate  and  final  separation.  The 
pale  a.shy  cheek,  the  hollow  eye,  the  sharp  and  altered  fea- 
tures, all  told  a  tale  of  anguish  siich  as  she;  had  never  before 
conceived,  and  a  cold  tremor  passed  tlirough  her  frame,  as 
she  stood  ama/Ad  and  bewildered  with  grief,  while  the  past, 
the  present,  and  the  future  seemed  all  one  mighty  heap  of 
agony.     Still  she  gazed  steadily  on  Frank,  and  said  nothing, 


THE    ARIRVAL.  231 

conscious  that  the  smallest  indulgence  of  emotion  would 
bring  forth  a  torrent  which  nothing  could  control,  and  de- 
termined, unless  her  heart  ceased  to  beat,  that  he  should  see 
nothing  to  increase  his  agitation. 

At  length,  in  a  low,  faint,  broken  voice,  Frank  was  able 
to  speak,  and  looking  with  affectionate  sympathy  at  Laura, 
he  said,  "  Do  not  think,  dear  sister,  that  I  always  suffer  as 
you  see  me  now.  This  joy  has  been  too  much  for  me.  I 
shall  soon  feel  easier." 

Major  Graham  observed  a  livid  paleness  come  over 
Laura's  countenance  when  she  attempted  to  answer,  and 
seeing  it  was  impossible  to  sustain  the  trial  a  moment  long- 
er, he  made  a  pretext  to  hurry  her  away.  Harry  instantly 
followed,  and  rushing  into  a  vacant  room,  he  threw  himself 
down  in  an  agony  of  grief,  and  wept  convulsively,  till  the 
very  bed  shook  beneath  him.  Hours  passed  on,  and  Major 
Graham  left  them  to  exhaust  their  grief  in  weeping  together, 
but  every  moment  seemed  only  to  increase  their  agitation, 
as  the  conviction  became  more  fearfully  certain  that  Frank 
was  indeed  lost  to  them  for  ever.  This  then  was  the  meet- 
ing they  had  so  often,  and  so  joyously  anticipated  !  Laura 
sunk  upon  her  knees  beside  Harry,  and  prayers  were  min- 
gled with  their  tears,  while  they  asked  for  consolation, 
and  tried  to  feel  resigned.  "  Alas  I"  thought  she  solemnly, 
<'  how  truly  did  grandmama  say,  '  If  the  sorrows  of  this 
world  are  called  '  light  afflictions,'  what  must  be  those  from 
which  Christ  died  to  save  us !'  It  is  merciful  that  we 
are  not  forbid  to  weep,  for,  oh !  who  ever  lost  such  a  broth- 
er?— the  kindest — the  best  of  brothers! — dear,  dear  Frank! 
— can  nothing  be  done  !  Uncle  David  !"  added  Laura, 
clinging  to  Major  Graham,  when  he  entered  the  room, 
"  oh !  say  something  to  us  about  Frank  getting  better, — 
do  you  think  he  will  ?  May  we  have  a  hope? — one  single 
hope  to  live  upon,  that  Frank  may  possibly  be  spared  ; 
do  not  turn  away — do   not  look   so  very  sad — think  hovr 


232 


THE    ARRIVAL. 


young  Frank  is,— and  the  Doctors  are  so  skilful — and — and 
oh,  uncle  David!  he  is  dying!  I  see  it!  I  must  believe 
it!"  continued  she,  wringing  her  hands  with  grief.  "  You 
cannot  give  us  one  word  of  hope,  though  the  whole  world 
would  be  nothing  without  him." 

"  My  dear, — my  very  dear  I.aura  !  rcmrnibcr  that  con- 
soling text  in  holy  Scripture,  'Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am 
God  ;' — we  have  no  idea  what  He  can  do  in  saving  us  from 
sorrow,  or  in  comforting  us  when  it  comes,  therefore  let  us 
seek  peace  from  Ilim,  and  believe  that  all  shall  indeed  be 
ordered  well,  even  though  our  own  hearts  were  to  bo 
broken  with  affliction.  Frank  has  seen  old  nurse  Crabtree, 
and  is  now  in  a  refreshing  sleep,  therefore  I  wish  you  to 
take  the  opportunity  of  sitting  in  his  room,  and  accustom- 
ing yourselves,  if  possible,  to  the  sight  of  his  altered  ap- 
pearance. He  is  sometimes  very  cheerful,  and  always  pa- 
tient, therefore  wo  must  keep  up  our  own  spirits,  and  try  to 
assist  him  in  bearing  his  sufferings,  rather  than  increase 
them,  by  showing  what  we  feel  ourselves.  I  was  pleased 
with  you  both  this  morning — that  meeting  was  no  common 
effort,  and  now  we  must  show  our  submission  to  the  Divino 
will,  difficult  as  that  may  be,  by  a  deep,  heartfelt  resignation 
to  whatever  He  ordains." 

Harry  and  Laura  still  felt  stupificd  with  grief,  but  they 
mechanically  followed  Major  Graliam  into  Frank's  room, 
and  sat  down  in  a  distant  corner  behind  his  chair,  observinff 
with  awe  and  astonishment  his  pallid  countenance,  his  ema- 
ciated hands,  and  his  drooping  figure,  while  scarcely  yet 
able  to  believe  that  this  was  indeed  their  own  beloved  Frank. 
After  they  had  remained  immovcably  still  for  some  time, 
though  shedding  many  bitter  tears,  as  they  gazed  on  the 
wreck  of  one  so  very  dear,  he  suddenly  started  awake,  and 
glanced  anxiously  round  the  room,  then  with  a  look  of  deep 
disappointment,  he  said  to  uncle  David,  in  low,  feeble  ac- 
centH, 


THE    ARRIVAL.  233 

"It  was  only  a  dream  !  I  have  often  dreamed  the  same 
thing,  when  far  away  at  sea, — that  would  have  been  too 
much  happiness  !  I  fancied  Harry  and  Laura  were  here  !" 

"It  was  no  dream,  dear  Frank!  we  are  here,"  said  Lau- 
ra, trying  to  speak  in  a  quiet,  subdued  voice. 

"  My  dear  sister  !  then  all  is  well !  but  pray  sit  always 
where  I  can  see  you.  After  wishing  so  long  for  our  meet- 
ing, it  appears  nearly  impossible  that  we  are  together  at 
last." 

Frank  became  exhausted  with  speaking  so  much,  but 
pointed  to  a  seat  near  himself,  where  Harry  and  Laura  sat 
down,  after  which  he  gazed  at  them  long  and  earnestly,  with 
a  look  of  affectionate  pleasure,  while  his  smile,  which  had 
lost  eJI  its  former  cheerfulness,  was  now  full  of  tenderness 
and  sensibility.  At  length  his  countenance  gradually  chang- 
ed, while  large  tears  gathered  in  his  eyes,  and  coursed  each 
other  silently  down  his  cheeks.  Thought3  of  the  deepest 
sadness  seemed  passing  through  his  mind  during  some  mo- 
ments, but  checking  the  heavy  sigh  that  rose  in  his  breast, 
he  riveted  his  hands  together,  and  looked  towards  heaven 
with  an  expression  of  placid  submission,  saying  these  words 
in  a  scarcely  audible  tone,  though  evidently  addressed  to 
those  around, 

"  Weeping  endureth  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the 
morning."  "We  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  ta- 
bernacle be  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  "  Weep  ye 
not  for  the  dead,  neither  bemoan  him  ;  but  weep  sore  for 
him  that  goeth  away  :  for  he  shall  return  no  more,  nor  see 
his  native  country."* 

These  words  fell  upon  the  ear  of  Harry  and  Laura  like  a 
knell  of  death,  for  they  now  saw  that  Frank  himself  believ- 
ed he  was  dying,  and  it  appeared  as  if  their  last  spark  of 

•  Jeremiah  xxii.  10. 
u2 


234  THE    ARRIVAL. 

hope  expired  when  they  heard  this  terrible  dispensation  an- 
nounced from  his  own  lips.  He  seemed  anxious  now  that 
they  should  understand  his  full  meaning,  and  receive  all  the 
consolation  which  his  mind  could  afford,  for  he  closed  his 
eyes,  and  added  in  solemn  accents, 

"I  must  have  died  at  some  time,  and  why  not  now?  If 
I  leave  friends  who  are  very  dear  on  earth,  I  go  to  my  chief 
best  friend  in  heaven.  The  whole  peace  and  comfort  of  my 
mind  rest  on  thinking  of  our  Saviour's  merits.  Let  us  all 
be  ready  to  say,  '  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done.'  Think 
often,  Harry  and  liaura,  of  those  words  we  so  frequently  re- 
peated to  grandmama  formerly  : 

'  Take  comfort,  Christians,  when  your  friends 

In  Jesus  fall  asleep, 
Their  belter  being  never  ends, 

Why  then  dejected  weep  1 

Why  inconsolable  as  those 

To  whom  no  liope  is  given  ? 
Death  is  the  mcsseng'cr  of  peace, 

And  calls  '  my'  soul  to  Heaven.'" 

Frank's  voice  failed,  his  head  fell  back  upon  the  pillows, 
and  he  remained  for  a  length  of  time,  with  his  eyes  closed 
in  solemn  meditation  atul  prayer,  while  I^aura  and  Harry, 
unable  so  much  as  to  look  at  each  other,  leaned  U|)on  the 
table,  and  wept  in  silence. 

Laura  felt  as  if  she  had  grown  old  in  a  moment, — as  if 
life  could  give  no  more  joy — and  as  if  she  herself  stood  al- 
ready on  the  verge  of  the  grave.  It  appeared  like  a  dream 
that  she  had  ever  been  happy,  and  a  dreadful  reality  to  which 
she  was  now  awakened.  "  Behold,  (iod  taketh  away  !  who 
can  hinder  him  t  who  will  say  unto  him,  \N  hat  doest  thou?" 
"  Cease  ye  from  man,  >\ hose  breath  is  in  his  nostrils." 
These  were  texts  which  forced  themselves  on  her  mind,  with 
mournful  emphasis,  while   she  felt  how  helpless  is  earthly 


THE    ARRIVAL.  235 

affection  when  the  dispensations  of  God  are  upon  us.  All 
her  love  for  Frank  could  not  avert  the  stroke  of  death, — all 
his  attachment  to  her  must  now  be  buried  in  the  grave, — • 
and  the  very  tenderness  they  felt  for  each  other,  only  embit- 
tered the  sorrows  of  this  dreadful  moment. 

From  that  day,  Harry  and  Laura,  according  to  the 
advice  of  uncle  David,  testified  their  affection  for  Frank, 
not  by  tears  and  useless  lamentations,  though  these  were 
not  always  to  be  controlled  in  private,  but  by  the  incessant, 
devoted  attention  with  which  they  watched  his  looks,  anti- 
cipated his  wishes,  and  thought  every  exertion  a  pleasure 
which  could  in  the  slightest  degree  contribute  to  his  com- 
fort. Frank,  on  his  part,  spared  their  feelings,  by  often 
concealing  what  he  suffered,  and  by  speaking  of  his  own 
death,  as  if  it  had  been  a  journey  on  which  he  must  pre- 
pare with  readiness  to  enter,  reminding  them,  that  never  to 
die,  was  never  to  be  happy,  as  all  they  saw  him  endure  from 
sickness,  became  nothing  to  what  he  endured  from  strug- 
gling against  sin  and  temptation,  which  were  the  great  evils 
of  existence, — and  that  from  all  these  he  would  be  for  ever 
freed  by  death.  "  Those  who  are  prepared  for  the  change," 
added  he,  solemnly,  "  can  neither  live  too  long,  nor  die  too 
soon  ;  for  when  God  gives  us  His  blessing.  He  then  sends 
heaven,  as  it  were,  into  the  soul  before  the  soul  ascends  to 
heaven  ;  and  I  trust  to  being  gifted  with  faith  and  submis- 
sion for  all  that  may  be  ordained  during  my  few  remaining 
hours  upon  earth." 

Yet,  with  every  desire  to  feel  resigned,  Frank  himself 
was  sometimes  surprised  out  of  his  usual  fortitude,  espe- 
cially when  thinking  that  he  must  never  more  hope  to  see 
Lady  Harriet,  towards  whom  he  cast  many  a  longing  and 
affecting  thoutrht,  saying  once,  with  deep  emotion,  "  If  I 
could  only  see  grandmama  again,  I  should  feel  quite  well !" 
One  evening,  as  he  sat  near  an  open  window,  gazing  on 
the  rich  tints  of  twilight,  and  breathing  with  more  than 


236  THE    ARRIVAL. 

usual  case,  a  wandering  musician  paused  with  her  guitar, 
and  sung  several  airs  with  great  pathos  and  expression.  At 
length  she  played  the  tune  of  "Home!  sweet  home,"  to 
which  Frank  listened  for  some  moments  with  intense  agi- 
tation, till,  clasping  his  hands  and  bursting  into  tears,  ho 
exclaimed,  in  accents  of  powerful  emotion, 

"  Home !  That  happy  home  !  Oh  !  never — never  more, 
— my  home  is  in  the  grave." 

Laura  wept  convulsively  while  he  added  in  broken  ac- 
cents, "I   shall  still  be  remembered still  lamented 

you  must  not  love  me  too  well,  Laura, — not  as  I  love  you, 
or  your  sorrow  would  be  too  great  ;  but  long  hence,  when 
Harry  and  you  are  happy  together,  surrounded  with  friends, 
think  sometimes  of  one  who  must  for  ever  be  absent, — who 
loved  you  better  than  them  all, — whose  last  prayer  will  be 
for  you  both.  Oh  !  who  can  tell  what  my  feelings  are  !  I 
can  do  nothing  now  but  cause  distress  and  anguish  to  those 
who  love  me  best!'' 

"  Frank,  I  would  not  exchange  your  affection  for  the  wealth 
of  worlds.  As  long  as  I  live,  it  will  be  my  greatest  earthly 
happiness  to  have  had  such  a  brother;  and  if  we  are  to  suf- 
fer a  sorrow  that  I  cannot  name,  and  dare  not  think  of,  you 
are  teaching  me  how  to  bear  it,  and  leaving  us  the  only 
comfort  we  can  have,  in  knowing  that  you  are  happy." 

"  Many  plans  and  many  hopes  I  had  for  the  future, 
Laura,"  added  Frank;  "but  there  is  no  future  to  me  now 
in  this  world.  Perhaps  I  may  escape  a  multitude  of  sor- 
rows, but  how  gladly  would  I  have  shared  all  yours,  and  en- 
sured my  best  happiness  by  uniting  with  Harry  and  you  in 
living  to  God.  If  you  both  learn  more  by  my  death  than 
by  my  life,  then,  indeed,  I  do  rejoice.  With  respect  to  my- 
self, it  matters  but  little  a  few  years  or  hours  sooner,  for  I 
may  say,  in  the  words  of  Job,  '  tliough  He  slay  me,  yet  will 
I  trust  in  Him.'  " 

Frank's  sufferings  increased  every  day,  and  became  so 


THE    ARRIVAL.  237 

very  great  at  last,  that  the  Doctor  proposed  giving  him  strong 
doses  of  laudanum,  to  bring  on  a  stupor  and  allay  the  pain  ; 
but  when  this  was  mentioned  to  him,  he  said,  "  I  know  it  is 
my  duty  to  take  whatever  you  prescribe,  and  I  certainly 
shall,  but  if  we  can  do  without  opiates,  let  me  entreat  you 
to  refrain  from  them.  Often  formerly  at  sea  I  used  to  think 
it  very  sad  how  few  of  those  I  attended  in  sickness  were 
allowed  by  the  physician  to  die  in  possession  of  their  senses, 
on  account  of  being  made  to  take  laudanum,  which  gave 
them  false  spirits  and  temporary  ease.  Let  me  retain  my 
faculties  as  long  as  they  are  mercifully  granted  to  me.  I 
can  bear  pain, — at  least,  God  grant  me  strength  to  do  so, — 
but  I  cannot  willingly  enter  the  presence  of  my  Creator  in 
a  state  little  short  of  intoxication." 

Many  days  of  agony  followed  this  resolution  on  the  part 
of  Frank,  but  though  the  medicine,  which  would  have 
brought  some  hours  of  oblivion,  lay  within  reach,  he  perse- 
vered in  wishing  to  preserve  his  consciousness,  whatever 
suffering  it  might  cost ;  and  though  now  and  then  a  prayer 
for  bodily  relief  was  wrung  from  him  in  his  acute  agony, 
the  most  frequent  and  fervent  supplications  that  he  uttered 
night  and  day  were,  in  an  accent  of  intense  emotion,  "  God 
have  mercy  upon  my  soul." 

Harry  and  Laura  were  surprised  to  find  the  fields  and 
walks  near  London  so  very  rural  and  beautiful  as  they  ap- 
peared at  Hammersmith,  and  to  meet  with  much  more 
simplicity  and  kindness  among  the  common  people  than 
they  had  anticipated.  The  poorer  neighbours,  who  became 
aware  of  their  affliction,  testified  a  degree  of  sympathy 
which  frequently  astonished  them,  and  was  often  afterwards 
remembered  with  pleasure,  one  instance  of  which  seemed 
peculiarly  touching  to  Laura.  Frank  always  suffered  most 
acutely  during  the  night,  and  seldom  closed  his  eyes  in 
sleep  till  morning,  therefore  she  invariably  remained  with 
him,  to  beguile  those  weary  hoursj  while  any  remonstrance 


23d  THE  ARRIVAL. 

on  his  part  against  so  fatiguing  a  duty,  became  a  mere 
waste  of  words,  as  she  only  grew  sadder  and  paler,  saying, 
there  would  be  time  enough  to  take  care  of  herself  when 
she  could  no  longer  be  of  use  to  him.  The  earliest  thing 
that  gave  any  relief  to  Frank's  cough  every  day,  generally 
was,  a  tumbler  of  milk,  warm  from  the  cow,  which  had 
been  ordered  for  him,  and  was  brought  almost  as  soon  as 
the  dawn  of  light.  Once,  when  Frank  had  been  unusually 
ill,  and  sighed  in  restless  agony  till  morning,  Laura  watched 
impatiently  for  day,  and  when  the  milkman  was  seen,  at 
six  o'clock,  slowly  trudging  through  the  fields,  and  advanc- 
ing leisurely  towards  the  house,  liaura  hurried  eagerly 
down  to  meet  him,  exclaiming  in  accents  of  joy,  while  she 
held  out  the  tumbler,  "  Oh  !  I  am  so  glad  you  are  come  at 
last  !" 

"At  last.  Miss!  !  I  am  as  early  as  usual !"  replied  he, 
gruffly.  "  It's  not  many  poor  folks  that  gets  up  so  soon 
to  their  work,  and  if  you  had  to  labour  as  hard  as  me  all 
day,  you  would  maybe  think  the  morning  came  too  soon." 
"  I  am  seldom  in  bed  all  night,"  answered  Laura,  sadly. 
"  My  poor  sick  brother  cannot  rest  till  this  milk  is  brought, 
and  I  wait  with  him,  hour  after  hour  till  daylight,  wearying 
for  you  to  come." 

The  old  dairyman  looked  with  sorrowful  surprise  at  Lau- 
ra, while  she,  thinking  no  more  of  what  had  passed,  hmried 
away ;  but  next  morning,  when  sitting  up  again  with 
Frank,  she  became  surprised  to  observe  the  milkman  a 
whole  hour  earlier  than  usual,  plodding  along  towards  his 
cattle  at  a  peculiarly  rapid  pace.  He  stayed  not  more  than 
five  minutes,  only  milking  one  cow,  though  all  the  others 
gathered  round  him,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  filled  his  little 
pail,  he  came  straight  toward  Major  (Jraham's  cottage,  and 
knocked  at  the  door.  Laura  instantlv  ran  down  to  thank 
him  with  her  whole  heart  for  his  kind  attention,  after  which, 


THE    ARRIVAL.  239 

ftS  long  as  Frank  continued  ill,  the  old  dairyman  rose  long 
before  his  usual  time,  to  bring  this  welcome  refreshment. 

Frank  desired  Laura  to  beg  that  he  would  not  take  so 
much  trouble,  or  else  to  insist  on  his  accepting  some  remu- 
neration, but  the  old  man  would  neither  discontinue  the 
custom,  nor  receive  any  recompense. 

"  Let  me  see  this  kind  good  dairyman,  to  thank  him  my- 
self," said  Frank,  one  night,  when  he  felt  rather  easier  ;  and 
next  morning,  Laura  invited  poor  Teddy  Collins  to  walk 
up  stairs,  who  looked  exceedingly  astonished,  though  very 
much  pleased  at  the  proposal,  saying,  «  May  be,  Ma'am, 
the  poor  young  gentleman  would  not  like  to  see  a  stranger 
like  me  !" 

"  No  one  is  a  stranger  who  feels  for  him  as  you  have 
done,"  replied  Laura,  leading  the  way,  and  Frank's  counte- 
nance lighted  up  with  a  smile  of  pleasure  when  they  enter- 
ed his  room.  He  held  out  his  thin  emaciated  hand  to  Ted- 
dy, who  looked  earnestly  and  sorrowfully  in  his  face  as  he 
grasped  hold  of  it,  saying,  "  You  look  very  poorly,  Sir  I 
I'm  afraid,  indeed,  you  are  sadly  ill." 

"  That  I  am  !  as  ill  as  any  one  can  be  on  this  side  of 
eternity!  My  tale  is  told,  my  days  are  numbered;  but  I 
would  not  go  out  of  this  world  without  saying  how  grateful 
we  both  feel  for  your  attention.  As  a  cup  of  cold  water 
given  in  Christian  kindness  shall  hereafter  be  rewarded,  I 
trust  also  that  your  attention  to  me  may  not  be  forgotten." 

"  You  are  heartily  welcome.  Sir  !  It  is  a  great  honour 
for  a  poor  old  man  like  me  to  oblige  anybody.  I  shall  not  long 
be  able  for  work  now,  seeing  that  I  am  upwards  of  three- 
score and  ten,  and  my  days  are  already  full  of  labour  and 
sorrow." 

"  To  both  of  us,  then,  the  night  is  far  spent,  and  the  day 
is  at  hand,"  replied  Frank — "  How  strange  it  seems,  that, 
old  as  you  are,  I  am  still  older ;  my  feeble  frame  will  be 
sooner  worn  out,  and  my  body  laid  at  rest  in  the  grave  J 


210  THE    ARRIVAL. 

Let  mc  hope  that  you  have  already  applied  your  heart  to  wis- 
dom, for  every  child  of  earth  must,  sooner  or  later,  find  how 
short  is  every  thing  but  eternity.  A\  bile  I  ai)pcar  Ijefore  you 
here  as  a  spectacle  of  mortality,  think  how  soon  and  how 
certainly  you  must  follow.  May  youthen  find,  as  I  do,  that 
even  in  the  last  extreme  of  sickness  aud  sorrow,  there  is 
comfort  in  looking  forward  to  such  blessings  as  '  eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard.'  Farewell,  my  kind  friend  !  In 
this  world  we  shall  meet  no  more,  but  there  is  another  and 
a  better." 

The  old  man,  apparently  unwilling  to  withdraw,  paused 
for  some  moments  after  Frank  had  ceased  to  speak.  He 
muttered  a  few  inaudible  words  in  reply,  and  then  slowly 
and  sorrowfully  left  the  room,  while  Frank's  head  sunk  lan- 
guidly on  the  pillows,  and  Laura  retired  to  her  room,  where, 
as  usual,  she  wept  herself  to  sleep. 

When  Harry  and  Laura  first  arrived  at  Hammersmith, 
Frank  felt  anxious  that  they  should  walk  out  every  day  for 
the  benefit  of  their  health;  but  finding  that  each  made  fre- 
quent excuses  for  remaining  constantly  with  him  at  home, 
he  invented  a  plan  which  induced  them  to  talvc  exercise  re- 
gularly. 

Being  early  in  June,  strawberrios  were  yet  so  exceedingly 
rare,  that  they  could  scan«;ly  be  had  fur  any  money  ;  but  the 
Doctor  had  allowed  his  patient  to  eat  fruit.  Frank  asked  his 
two  young  attendants  to  wander  about  in  quest  of  gardens 
where  a  few  strawberries  could  be  got,  and  to  bring  him 
some.  Accordingly,  they  set  out  one  morning  ;  and  after 
a  long,  unsuccessful  search,  at  last  observed  a  small  green- 
house near  the  road,  with  one  little  basket  in  the  window, 
scarcely  larger  than  a  thimble,  containing  two  or  three  de- 
licious King  seedlings,  perfectly  ripe.  These  were  to  be 
sold  for  five  shilling.s  ;  b\it  lijirdly  waiting  to  ascertain  the 
price,  Laura  seized  this  welcome  prize  with  delight,  and  paid 
for  it  on  the  spot.     Every  niorniiig  afterwards,  her  regular 


THE    ARRIVAL.  241 

walk  was  to  hasten  with  Harry  towards  this  pretty  little  shop, 
where  they  talked  to  the  gardener  about  poor  Frank  being 
so  very  ill,  and  told  him  that  this  fine  fruit  was  wanted  for 
their  sick  brother  at  home. 

One  day  the  invalid  seemed  so  much  worse  than  usual, 
that  neither  Harry  nor  Laura  could  bear  to  leave  him  a  mo- 
ment ;  so  they  requested  Mrs.  Crabtree  to  fetch  the  straw- 
berries, which  she  readily  agreed  to  do  ;  but  on  drawing  out 
her  purse  in  the  shop,  and  saying  that  she  came  to  buy  that 
little  basket  of  fruit  at  the  window,  what  was  her  astonish- 
ment when  the  gardener  looked  civil  and  sorry,  answering 
that  he  would  not  sell  those  strawberries  if  she  offered  him 
a  guinea  a-piece. 

"  No !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Crabtree,  getting  into  a  rage  ; 
"  then  what  do  you  put  them  up  at  the  window  for  ?  There 
is  no  use  pretending  to  keep  a  shop,  if  you  will  not  sell 
what  is  in  it!  Give  me  these  strawberries  this  minute,  and 
here's  your  five  shillings !" 

"It's  quite  impossible,"  replied  the  gardener,  holding  back 
the  basket.  "  You  see,  ma'am,  every  day  last  week  a  little 
Master  and  Miss  came  to  this  here  shop,  buying  my  straw- 
berries for  a  young  gentleman  who  is  very  ill ;  and  they  look 
both  so  sweet  and  so  mournful-like,  that  I  would  not  disap- 
point them  for  all  the  world.  They  seem  later  to-day  than 
usual,  and  are,  may  be,  not  coming  at  all  ;  but  if  I  lose  my 
day's  profits,  it  can't  be  helped.  They  shall  not  walk  here 
for  nothing,  if  they  please  to  come  !" 

When  Mrs.  Crabtree  explained  that  she  belonged  to  the 
same  family  as  Harry  and  Laura,  the  gardener  looked  hard 
at  her  to  see  if  she  were  attempting  to  deceive  him  ;  but 
feeling  convinced  that  she  spoke  the  truth,  he  begged  her  to 
carry  off  the  basket  to  his  young  friends,  positively  refusing 
to  take  the  price. 


X 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  LAST  BIRTH-DAY. 

Mere  human  power  shall  fast  decay, 
And  youthful  vigour  cease  ; 
But  they  who  wait  ujjon  the  Lord, 
In  strength  shall  still  increase. 

Frank  felt  no  unnatural  apathy  or  indifierencc  about  dying, 
for  he  looked  upon  it  with  awe,  though  not  with  fear;  nor 
did  he  express  any  rapturous  excitement  on  the  solemn  oc- 
casion, knowing  that  death  is  an  appointed  penalty  for 
transgression,  which,  though  deprived  of  its  sharpest  sting 
by  the  triumphs  of  the  cross,  yet  awfully  testifies  to  all  suc- 
ceeding generations,  that  each  living  man  has  individually 
merited  the  utmost  wrath  of  God,  and  that  the  last  moment 
on  earth,  of  even  the  most  devoted  Christian,  must  be  dark, 
ened  by  the  gloom  of  our  original  sin  and  natural  corrup- 
tion. Yet,  "  as  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  are  all  made 
alive;"  and  amidst  the  throng  of  consolatory  and  affecting 
meditations  that  crowded  into  his  mind  on  the  great  sub- 
ject of  our  salvation,  he  kept  a  little  book  in  which  were 
carefully  recorded  such  texts  and  reflections  as  he  consider- 
ed likely  to  strengthen  his  own  faith,  and  to  comfort  those 
he  left  behind — saying  one  dny  to  Major  t.'raham, 

"  Tell  grandmama,  that  though  my  days  have  been  few 
upon  the  earth,  they  were  happy!  When  you  think  of  me, 
uuclc  David,  after  my  sulFcrings  are  over,  it  may  well  be  a 


THE    LAST    BIRTH-DAT.  243 

pleasing  remembrance,  that  you  were  always  the  best,  th& 
kindest  of  friends.     Oh!    how  kind!    but  I  must  not — 

cannot  speak  of  that .     This   is  my  birth-day  ! — my 

last  birth-day !  Many  a  joyous  one  we  kept  together,  but 
those  merry  days  are  over,  and  these  sadder  ones  too  shall 
cease ;  yet  the  time  is  fast  approaching,  so  welcome  to  us 
both, 

'  When  death-divided  friends  at  last 

Shall  meet  to  part  no  more.'  " 

In  the  evening,  Major  Graham  observed  that  Frank  made 
Mrs.  Crabtree  bring  everything  belonging  to  him,  and  lay  it 
on  the  table,  when  he  employed  himself  busily  in  tying 
up  a  number  of  little  parcels,  remarking,  with  a  languid 
smile, 

"  My  possessions  are  not  valuable,  but  these  are  for  somo 
old  friends  and  messmates,  who  will  be  pleased  to  receive  a 
trifling  memorial  of  one  who  loved  them.  Send  my  dirk 
to  Peter  Grey,  who  is  much  reformed  now.  Here  are  all 
the  letters  any  of  you  ever  sent  me  ;  how  very  often  they 
have  been  read  I  but  now,  even  that  intercourse  must  end  ; 
keep  them,  for  they  were  the  dearest  treasures  I  possessed. 
At  Madras,  formerly,  I  remember  hearing  of  a  nabob  who 
was  bringing  his  whole  fortune  home  in  a  chest  of  gold, 
but  the  ropes  for  hoisting  his  treasure  on  board  were  so  in- 
sufficient, that  the  whole  gave  way,  and  it  fell  into  the 
ocean,  never  to  be  recovered.  That  seemed  a  very  sudden 
termination  of  his  hopes  and  plans,  but  scarcely  more  unex- 
pected than  my  own.  '  We  are  a  wind  that  passeth  away 
and  Cometh  not  again.'  Many  restless  nights  are  ordained 
for  me  now,  probably  that  I  may  find  no  resource  but  pray- 
er and  meditation.  Others  can  afford  time  to  slumber,  but 
I  so  soon  shall  sleep  the  sleep  of  death,  that  it  becomes  a 
blessing  to  have  such  hours  of  solitary  thought,  for  prepar- 
ing my  heart  and  establishing  my  faith,  during  this  moment 
of  need." 


244  THE    LAST    UIRTH-DAf. 

"  Yes,  Frank  !  but  your  prayers  are  not  solitary,  for  ours 
arc  joined  to  yours,"  added  Laura.  "  I  read  in  an  old  au- 
thor lately,  that  Christian  friends  in  this  world  might  he 
compared  to  travellers  going  along  the  same  road  in  sepa- 
rate carriages — son\etimes  tliey  arc  together — oitcn  they  are 
apart — sometimes  they  can  exchange  assistance,  as  we  do 
now — and  often  they  jostle  against  each  other,  till  at  last, 
having  reached  the  journey's  end,  they  are  removed  out  of 
these  earthly  vehicles  into  a  better  state,  where  they  shall 
look  back  upon  former  circumstances,  and  know  even  as 
they  are  known." 

Laura  was  often  astonished  to  observe  the  change  which 
had  taken  place  in  her  own  character  and  feelings  within 
the  very  short  period  of  their  distress.  Her  extreme  terror 
of  a  thunder-storm  formerly,  had  occasioned  many  a  jest  to 
her  brothers,  when  Harry  used,  occasionally,  to  roll  heavy 
weights  in  the  room  above  her  own,  to  imitate  the  loudest 
peals,  while  Frank  somctimos  endeavoured  to  arcuc  her  out 
of  that  excessive  apprehension  with  which  she  listened  to 
the  most  distant  surmise  of  a  storm.  Now,  however,  at 
Hammersmith,  long  alter  midnight,  the  moon,  on  one  oc- 
casion, became  completely  obscured  by  dense  heavy  clouds, 
and  the  air  felt  so  oppressively  hot,  that  Frank,  who  seemed 
unusually  breathless,  drew  closer  to  the  window.  Laura 
supported  his  head,  and  was  deeply  occupied  in  talking  to 
him,  when  suddenly  a  broad  Hash  of  lightning  glared  into 
the  room,  followed  by  a  crash  of  tliunder,  that  seemed  to 
crack  the  very  heavens.  Again  and  again  the  lightning 
gleamed  in  her  face  with  such  vividness,  that  Laura  fancied 
she  could  distinguish  the  heat  of  it,  and  yet  she  stirred  not, 
nor  did  a  single  exclamation,  as  in  former  days,  arise  ou 
her  lips. 

"  Pray  shut  tht;  window,  Laura,"  said  Fraidv  languidly, 
raising  his  eyes  ;  "•  and  be  so  kind  as  to  close  the  shut- 
ters!" 


THE    LAST    BIRTH-DAY.  245 

"  "Why,  Frank? — you  never  used  to  be  alarmed  by  thun- 
der !» 

«  No!"  nor  am  I  now,  dear  Laura.  What  danger  need 
a  dying  person  fear  ?  Some  few  hours  sooner  or  later  would 
be  of  little  consequence — 

Come  he  slow,  or  come  he  fast, 
It  is  but  death  that  comes  at  last. 

Yet,  Laura,  do  you  think  I  have  forgotten  old  times  !  Oh, 
no ! — not  while  I  live.  You  attend  to  my  feelings,  and 
surely  it  is  my  duty  to  remember  yours." 

"  Never  mind  me,  Frank  !"  whispered  Laura.  "  I  have 
got  over  all  that  folly.  When  real  fears  and  sorrows  come, 
we  care  no  more  about  those  that  were  imaginary." 

"  True,  my  dear  sister  ;  and  there  is  no  courage  or  forti- 
tude like  that  derived  from  faith  in  a  superintending  provi- 
dence. Though  all  creation  reel,  we  may  sleep  in  peace, 
for  to  Christians  '  danger  is  safe,  and  tumult  calm.'  " 

When  Frank  grew  worse,  he  became  often  delirious. 
Yet  as  in  health  he  had  been  habitually  cheerful,  his  mind 
generally  wandered  to  agreeable  subjects.  He  fancied  him- 
self walking  on  the  bright  meadows,  and  picking  flowers  by 
the  river  side, — meeting  Lady  Harriet, — and  even  speaking 
to  his  father,  as  if  Sir  Edward  had  been  present ;  while 
Harry  and  Laura  listened,  weeping  and  trembling,  to  be- 
hold the  wreck  of  such  a  mind  and  heart  as  his.  One 
evening,  he  seemed  unusually  well,  and  requested  that  his 
arm-chair  might  be  wheeled  to  the  open  window,  where  he 
gazed  with  delight  at  the  hills  and  meadows, — the  clouds 
and  glittering  water, —  the  cattle  standing  in  the  stream, — 
the  boats  reflected  on  its  surface, — and  the  roses  fluttering 
at  every  casement. 

<'  Those  joyous  little  birds  I — their  song  malies  me  cheer- 
ful," said  he,  in  a  tone  of  placid  enjoyment.  "  I  have  been 
in  countries  where  the  birds  never  sing,  and  the  leaves 

x2 


246  THE    I.A3T     BIRTH-DAT. 

never  facie  ;  but  they  excited  no  sympathy  or  interest.  Here 
we  have  notes  of  gladness  both  in  sunshine  and  storm, 
teaching  us  a  lesson  of  grateful  contentment, — while  those 
drooping  roses  preach  a  sermon  to  me,  for  as  easily  might 
they  recover  freshness  and  bloom  as  myself.  We  shall 
both  lie  low  before  long  in  the  dust,  yet  a  spring  shall  come 
hereafter  to  revive  even  'the  ashes  of  the  urn.'  Then, 
uncle  David,  we  meet  again, — not  as  now,  amidst  sorrow 
and  suffering,  with  death  and  separation  before  us, — but 
blessed  by  the  consciousness  that  our  sins  are  forgiven, — 
our  trials  all  ended, — and  that  our  afflictions,  which  were 
but  for  a  moment,  have  worked  out  for  us  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding, even  an  eternal  weight  of  glory." 

Some  hours  afterwards  the  Doctor  entered.  After  re- 
ceiving a  cordial  welcome  from  Frank,  and  feeling  his 
pukse,  he  instantly  examined  his  arms  and  neck,  which  were 
covered  entirely  over  with  small  red  spots,  upon  observing 
which,  the  friendly  physician  suddenly  changed  counte- 
nance, and  stole  an  alarmed  glance  at  Major  d'raham. 

"  I  feel  easier  and  better  to-day.  Doctor,  than  at  any  time 
since  my  illness,"  said  Frank,  looking  earnestly  in  his 
fhco.  "Do  you  think  this  eruption  will  dome  good?  Life 
has  much  that  would  be  dear  to  me,  while  I  have  friends 
like  these  to  live  for.  Can  it  be  possible  that  I  may  yet  re- 
cover ?" 

The  Doctor  turned  away,  unable  to  reply,  while  Frank 
intenselv  watched  his  countenance,  and  then  gazed  at  the 
pale  acitaled  face  of  Major  (Jraham.  (Gradually  th(^  hope 
which  had  brightened  in  his  cheek  began  to  fade, — the  lus- 
tre of  his  eye  became  dim, — his  countenance  settled  into 
an  expression  of  mournful  resignation, — and  covering  his 
face  with  his  hands,  he  said,  in  a  voice  of  deep  emotion, 

*' I  see  how  it  is! — God*s  will  be  done  !" 

The  sitrnce  of  death  succeeded,  while*  Frank  laid  his 
head  on  the  pilk)w  and  closed  bis  eyes.     A  few  natural  tears 


THE    LAST    BIRTH-DAY»  247 

coursed  each  other  slowly  down  his  cheek  ;  but  at  length, 
an  hour  or  two  afterwards,  being  completely  exhausted,  he 
fell  into  a  gentle  sleep,  from  which  the  Doctor  considered  it 
very  doubtful  if  he  would  ever  awaken,  as  the  red  spots  in- 
dicated mortification,  which  must  inevitably  terminate  his 
life  before  next  day. 

Laura  retired  to  the  window,  making  a  strenuous  effort  to 
restrain  her  feelings,  that  she  might  be  enabled  to  witness 
the  last  awful  scene ;  and   fervently  did  she  pray  for  such 
strength  to  sustain  it  with  fortitude,  as  might  still  render  her 
of  some  use  to  her  dying  brother.     Her  pale   countenance 
might  almost  have  been  mistaken   for  that  of  a  corpse,  but 
for  the  expression  of  living  agony  in  her  eye  ;  and  she  was 
sunk  in  deep,  solemn  thought,  when   her  attention  became 
suddenly  roused  by  observing  a  chariot  and  four  drive  furi- 
ously up  to  the  gate,  while  the  horses  were  foaming  and 
panting  as  they  stopped.     A  tall  gentleman,  of  exceedingly 
striking  appearance,   sprung  hurriedly  out,  walked  rapidly 
towards  the  cottage   door,   and  in   another   minute  entered 
Frank's  room,  with  the  animated  look  of  one  who  expected 
to  be  gladly  welcomed,  and  to  occasion  an  agreeable  surprise. 
Harry  and  Laura  shrunk   close  to  their  uncle,  when  the 
stranger,  now  in.  evident  agitation,  gazed  round  the   room 
with  an  air  of  painful   astonishment,   till   Major   Graham 
looked  round,  and  instantly  started  up  with  an  exclamation 
of  amazement,  "  Edward  !  is  it  possible  !     This  is  indeed 
a  consolation  !  you  are  still  in  time!" 

"In  time!  !"  exclaimed  Sir  Edward,  grasping  his 
brother's  hand  with  vehement  agitation.  "  Do  you  mean  to 
say  that  Frank  is  yet  in  danger  !" 

Major  Graham  mournfully  shook  his  head,  and  undrawing 
the  bed  curtains,  he  silently  pointed  to  the  sleeping  counte- 
nance of  Frank,  which  was  as  still  as  death,  and  already 
overspread  by  a  ghastly  paleness.  Sir  Edward  then  sunk 
into  a  chair,  and  clenched  his  hands  over  his  forehead  with 


248  THE    LAST    BinTH-DAY. 

a  look  of  unspeakable  anguish,  saying,  in  an  under-tonc, 
*'  ^\oru  out,  as  I  am,  in  mind  and  body,  I  needed  not  this 
to  destroy  mc  !     Say  at  once,  brother,  is  there  any  hope?" 

"  None,  my  dear  Kdward  !  None  !  Even  now  he  is  in- 
sensible, and  I  tear  with  little  prospect  of  ever  becoming 
conscious  again." 

At  this  moment  Frank  opened  his  eyes,  which  were  dim 
and  glassy,  while  it  became  evident  that  he  had  relapsed 
into  a  state  of  temporary  delirium. 

"  Get  more  candles !  how  very  dark  it  is  !"  he  said. 
"AVho  arc  all  those  people?  Send  away  everybody  but 
grandmama  !  I  must  speak  to  her  alone.  Never  tell  papa 
of  all  this,  it  would  only  distress  him — say  nothing  atiout 
me.  Why  do  Harry  and  Laura  never  come  1  They  have 
been  absent  more  than  a  week !  >Vho  took  away  uncle 
David  too?" 

Laura  listened  for  some  time  in  an  agony  of  grief,  till  at 
last,  unable  any  longer  to  restrain  her  feelings,  she  clasped 
Frank  in  her  arms  and  burst  into  tears,  exclaiming,  in  ac- 
cents of  piercing  distress,  "  Oh  Frank  !  dear  Frank  !  have 
you  forgotten  poor  Laura?" 

"Not  till  I  am  dead  !"  whispered  he,  while  a  momentary 
gleam  of  recollection  lighted  up  his  face.  "Laura!  wc 
meet  again." 

Sir  Edward  now  wished  to  si)eak,  but  Frank  had  relapsed 
into  a  state  of  feeble  unconsciousness,  from  which  nothing 
could  arouse  him  ;  once  or  twice  he  repeated  the  name  of 
Laura  in  a  low  melancholy  voice,  till  it  became  totally  in- 
audible— his  breath  became  shorter — his  lips  became  livid — 
his  whole  frame  seemed  convulsed — and  some  hours  aflor- 
wards,  all  that  was  mortal  of  Frank  Graham  ceased  to 
exist  About  four  in  the  morning  his  body  was  at  rest,  and 
his  spirit  returned  to  (iod  who  gave  it. 

The  candles  had    burned    low  in  their   sockets,  and   still 
the  mourners  remained,  unwilling  to   move  from  the  awful 


THE    LAST    BIRTU-DAT.  249 

Bcene  of  their  bereavement.  Mrs.  Crabtree  at  length,  who 
laid  out  the  body  herself,  extinguished  the  lights,  and  flung 
open  the  window  curtains.  Then  suddenly  a  bright  blaze 
of  sunshine  streamed  into  the  room,  and  rested  on  the  cold 
pale  face  of  the  dead.  To  the  stunned  and  bewildered 
senses  of  Harry  and  Laura,  the  brilliant  dawn  of  morning 
seemed  like  a  mockery  of  their  distress.  Many  persons 
were  already  passing  by — the  busy  stir  of  life  had  begun, 
and  a  boy  strolling  along  the  road  whistled  his  merry  tune 
as  he  went  gaily  on. 

"We  are  indeed  mere  atoms  in  the  world!"  thought 
Laura  bitterly,  while  these  sights  and  sounds  fell  heavily  on 
her  heart.  If  Harry  and  I  had  both  been  dead  also,  the  sun 
would  have  shone  as  brightly,  the  birds  sung  as  joyfully,  and 
those  people  been  all  as  gay  and  happy  as  ever !  Nobody 
is  thinking  of  Frank — nobody  knows  our  misery — the 
world  is  going  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  and  we  are 
breaking  our  hearts  with  grief!" 

Laura's  heart  became  stilled  as  she  gazed  on  the  peace- 
ful and  almost  happy  expression  of  those  beautiful  features, 
which  had  now  lost  all  appearance  of  suffering.  The  eyes, 
from  which  nothing  but  kindness  and  love  had  beamed  up- 
on her,  were  now  closed  for  ever ;  the  lips  which  had  spo* 
ken  oiily  words  of  generous  affection  and  pious  hope,  were 
silent ;  and  the  heart  which  had  beat  with  every  warm  and 
brotherly  feeling,  was  for  the  first  time  insensible  to  her  sor- 
rows ;  yet  Laura  did  not  give  way  to  the  strong  excess  of 
her  grief,  for  it  sunk  upon  her  spirit  with  a  leaden  weight 
of  anguish,  which  tears  and  lamentations  could  not  express, 
and  could  not  even  relieve.  She  rose  and  kissed,  for  the 
last  time,  that  beloved  countenance,  which  she  was  never  to 
look  upon  again  till  they  met  in  heaven,  and  stole  away  to 
the  silence  and  solitude  of  her  own  room,  where  Laura  tried 
in  vain  to  collect  her  thoughts.  All  seemed  a  dreary  blank. 
She  did  not  sigh — she  could  nost  weep ;  but  she  sat  in  dark 


250  THE    LAST    BIRTH-DAT. 

and  vacant  abstraction,  with  one  only  consciousness  filling 
her  mind — the  bitter  remembrance  that  F'rank  was  dead — 
that  she  could  be  of  no  farther  use  to  him — that  she  could 
have  no  future  intercourse  with  him — that  even  in  her  pray- 
ers she  could  no  longer  have  the  comfort  of  naminn;  him; 
and  when  at  last  she  turned  to  his  own  Bible  which  he  had 
given  her,  to  seek  for  consolation,  her  eyes  refused  their  of- 
fice, and  the  pages  became  blistered  with  tears. 

After  Frank's  funeral,  Sir  Edward  became  too  ill  to  leave 
his  bed;  and  Major  Graham  remained  with  him  in  constant 
conversation;  while  Harry  and  Laura  did  every  thing  to 
testify  their  affection,  and  to  fill  the  place  now  so  sadly  va- 
cant. 

On  the  following  Sunday,  several  of  the  congregation  at 
Hammersmith  observed  two  young  strangers  in  the  rector's 
pew,  dressed  in  the  deepest  mourning,  with  pale  and  down- 
cast countenances,  who  glided  early  into  church,  and  sat 
immoveably  still,  side  by  side,  while  Mr.  Palmer  gave  out 
for  his  text  the  atfecting  and  appropriate  words  which  Frank 
himself  had  often  repeated  during  his  last  illness,  "In  an 
hour  that  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of  man  cometh." 

Not  a  tear  was  shed  by  either  Harry  or  Laura, — their 
grief  was  too  great  for  utterance;  yet  they  listened  with 
breathless  interest  to  the  sermon,  intended  not  only  to  con- 
sole them,  but  also  to  instruct  other  young  persons,  from  the 
afflicting  event  of  Frank's  death. 

Mr.  Palmer  took  this  opportunity  to  describe  all  the  ami- 
able dispositions  of  youth,  and  to  show  how  much  of  what 
is  pleasing  may  appear  before  religion  has  yet  taken  entire 
possession  of  the  mind  ;  but  he  painted  in  glowing  colour.'* 
the  beautiful  consistency  and  harmony  of  character  which 
must  ensue  after  that  ha[)py  change,  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
renews  the  heart  and  influences  the  life.  It  almost  seemed 
to  Harry  and  Laura  as  if  Frank  were  visibly  before  their 
eyes,  when  Mr.  Palmer  spoke  in  eloquent  terms  of  that  hu- 


THE    LAST    BIRTH-DAY.  251 

mility  which  no  praise  could  diminish — that  benevolence 
which  attended  to  the  feelings,  as  well  as  the  wants  of  others, 
— that  affection  which  was  ever  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice 
for  diose  he  loved, — that  docility  which  obeyed  the  call  of 
duty  on  every  occasion, — that  meekness  in  the  midst  of  pro- 
vocation which  could  not  be  irritated, — that  gentle  firmness 
in  maintaining  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  which  no  opposition 
could  intimidate, — that  cheerful  submission  to  sufl^ering 
which  saw  a  hand  of  mercy  in  the  darkest  hour, — and  that 
faith  which  was  ever  "  forgetting  those  things  which  are  be- 
hind, and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before, 
— pressing  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

It  seemed  as  if  years  had  passed  over  the  heads  of  Harry 
and  Laura  during  the  short  period  of  their  absence  from 
home — that  home  where  Frank  had  so  anxiously  desired  to 
go  !  All  was  changed  within  and  around  them, — sorrow  had 
filled  their  hearts,  and  no  longer  merry,  thoughtless  creatures, 
believing  the  world  one  scene  of  frolicsome  enjoyment  and 
careless  ease ;  they  had  now  witnessed  its  realities, — they 
had  felt  its  trials, — they  had  experienced  the  importance  of 
religion, — they  had  learned  the  frailty  of  all  earthly  joy, — 
and  they  had  received,  amidst  tears  and  sorrows,  the  last  in- 
junction of  a  dying  brother,  to  "  call  upon  the  Lord   while 
He  is  near,  and  to  seek  Him  while  he  may  yet  be  found." 
"  Uncle  David,"  said  Laura  one  day,  several  months  after 
their  return  home,  "  Mrs.  Crabtree  first  endeavoured  to  lead 
us  aright  by  severity, — you  and  grandmama  then  tried  what 
kindness  could  do,  but  nothing  was  efiectual  till  now,  when 
God  Himself  has  laid  His  hand  upon  us.     Oh  !    what  a 
heavy  stroke  was  necessary  to  bring  me  to  my  right  mind, 
but  now,  while  we  weep  many  bitter  tears,  Harry  and  I  of- 
ten pray  together  that  good  may  come  out  of  evil,  and  that 
"  we  who  mourn  so  deeply,  may  find  our  best,  our  only 
comfort  from  above." 


262 


THE    LAST    1!1KTH-DAT. 

Unthinking,  idle,  wild,  and  young, 

I  laugh'd,  and  talk'd,  and  danc'd,  and  sung; 

And  proud  of  licalth,  of  frolic  vain, 

Drcam'd  not  of  sorrow,  care,  or  pain, 

Concluding  in  those  hours  of  glee. 

That  all  the  world  was  made  for  me. 

But  when  the  days  of  trial  canr^. 
When  sorrow  shook  this  trembling  frame, 
When  folly's  gay  pursuits  were  o'er, 
And  I  could  dance  or  sing  no  more; 
It  then  occurr'd  how  sad  'twould  be 
Were  this  world  only  made  for  me. 

Prin'cp.ss  A.mklia. 


T)IR     KNIS 


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